2000
#7,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Sikorski
Derived from a Polish place name or the occupational name for a maker or user of axes or hatchets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,455 Americans carry the last name Sikorski. That puts it at #8,155 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,937 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sikorski surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sikorski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,937
Census rank
#8,155
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,885 bearers of the surname Sikorski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8155th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikorski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sikorski
The surname Sikorski is of Polish origin, derived from the word "sikora," which means "titmouse" in Polish. This surname likely originated in the medieval period, when surnames were commonly derived from nicknames related to physical characteristics, occupations, or personal traits.
The name Sikorski is believed to have originated in the historical region of Greater Poland, located in west-central Poland. This region was once a part of the Piast dynasty, one of the earliest ruling dynasties of Poland, which dates back to the 10th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sikorski can be found in the Księga Henrykowska, a 14th-century manuscript containing records of land ownership and transactions in the Silesian region of Poland. This document mentions a certain "Nicolaus Sikorski" from the village of Strzelin.
In the 15th century, the name Sikorski appeared in various records and documents from the city of Krakow, which was then the capital of the Polish Kingdom. One notable individual from this period was Jan Sikorski, a merchant and city councilor who lived in Krakow during the reign of King Casimir IV Jagiellon (1427-1492).
During the Renaissance period, the Sikorski family produced several notable figures, including Mikołaj Sikorski (1548-1610), a Polish poet and translator who is considered one of the pioneers of Polish Renaissance literature.
Another prominent individual with the surname Sikorski was Józef Sikorski (1813-1896), a Polish composer and conductor who was instrumental in the development of Polish national opera in the 19th century. His compositions, such as the opera "Halka," are still performed today.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Sikorski was Władysław Sikorski (1881-1943), a Polish military leader and statesman who served as Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile during World War II. He played a crucial role in organizing the Polish resistance against the Nazi occupation.
It is worth noting that the surname Sikorski has also been associated with various place names throughout Poland, such as the village of Sikorskie in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, and the town of Sikorz in the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sikorski
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikorski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sikorski bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sikorski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,614
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 118
- Two or more races2.4% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sikorski
Sikorski appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,189
-25 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 608 places
2020
#8,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,885
-304 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 252 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,295 | 4,214 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,903 | 4,189 | 1.42 | -25 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 608 places |
| 2020 | #8,155 | 3,885 | 1.30 | -304 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 252 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sikorski surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,903 | #8,155 | -3.2% |
| Count | 4,189 | 3,885 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.30 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sikorski bearers went from 4,189 to 3,885 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 252 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,903 to #8,155.
FAQ
Sikorski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sikorski?
Name Census estimates that about 4,455 living Americans carry the surname Sikorski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,937 residents.
How common is Sikorski?
Sikorski ranks #8,155 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,885 people with the surname Sikorski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sikorski.
Has Sikorski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sikorski went from 4,189 recorded bearers to 3,885. That is a decrease of 304 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,903 to #8,155.
What does the Census say about the background of Sikorski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikorski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sikorski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,614 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sikorski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sikorski (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sikorski mean?
Derived from a Polish place name or the occupational name for a maker or user of axes or hatchets. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sikorski (1.30 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Sikorski?
Find out how common the surname Sikorski is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.