2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Skwiat
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word "świat", meaning "world" or "earth".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Skwiat. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skwiat 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.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Skwiat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skwiat, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skwiat
The surname "SKWIAT" has its origins in Poland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "świat," which translates to "world" or "universe." This suggests that the name may have been initially assigned as a descriptive nickname or occupational title for individuals associated with worldly affairs or pursuits.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various historical records, including the tax registers of the city of Krakow. One notable individual bearing this surname was Jan Skwiat, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Nowy Sacz between 1420 and 1489.
As the name spread across different regions of Poland, it underwent several spelling variations, such as "Schwiat," "Skviat," and "Skwjat." These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the evolution of the Polish language over time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name gained prominence among the Polish nobility and landed gentry. One distinguished figure was Kazimierz Skwiat (1554-1618), a military leader who served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's campaigns against the Ottoman Empire and the Muscovite Tsardom.
The name also found its way into historical records and manuscripts beyond Poland's borders. In the early 18th century, a merchant named Aleksandr Skwiat was mentioned in the trade records of the Hanseatic League, indicating the spread of the name through commercial activities across Europe.
Another notable individual was Józef Skwiat (1793-1867), a renowned Polish painter and academic who studied at the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden. His works are featured in several museums across Poland and Germany.
While the name "SKWIAT" may have evolved and adapted over time, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of Poland, where it originally emerged as a descriptive identifier and subsequently gained recognition among various social strata.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skwiat
Among Census respondents with the surname Skwiat, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Skwiat 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 Skwiat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino16.2% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skwiat
Skwiat appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,986 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 Skwiat 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 | #160,975 | #152,989 | 5.0% |
| Count | 100 | 105 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skwiat bearers went from 100 to 105 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #152,989.
FAQ
Skwiat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skwiat?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Skwiat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Skwiat?
Skwiat ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Skwiat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Skwiat.
Has Skwiat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skwiat went from 100 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Skwiat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skwiat, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Skwiat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skwiat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Hispanic (16.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Skwiat (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 Skwiat mean?
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word "świat", meaning "world" or "earth". 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 Skwiat (0.04 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 Skwiat?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Skwiat at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.