2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Slawek
A Polish surname derived from the Slavic word "slava" meaning glory or fame.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Slawek. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slawek 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Slawek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slawek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slawek
The surname SLAWEK originated in Poland during the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic surname derived from the Slavic male given name Sław, which means "glory" or "fame." The name likely emerged as a way to identify individuals by their father's name, with the suffix "-ek" added to indicate "son of."
SLAWEK is believed to have first appeared in historical records as early as the 13th century, when surnames began to become more widespread in Poland. The earliest documented instances of the name can be found in medieval Polish chronicles and manuscripts, often referring to individuals from noble or prominent families.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the SLAWEK surname was Jan SLAWEK, a Polish knight who fought in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, a significant victory for the Polish-Lithuanian forces against the Teutonic Knights. His name can be found in contemporary accounts of the battle.
During the Renaissance period, the SLAWEK surname gained further recognition with the rise of Mikołaj SLAWEK (1490-1563), a renowned Polish mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the development of trigonometry and authored several influential works on mathematics and astronomy.
In the 17th century, Andrzej SLAWEK (1620-1682) was a prominent Polish painter and engraver, known for his religious artworks and portraits of nobility. His works can be found in churches and museums throughout Poland.
Another notable individual with the SLAWEK surname was Franciszek SLAWEK (1789-1853), a Polish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and the November Uprising against Russian rule. He rose to the rank of general and played a vital role in the struggle for Polish independence.
The SLAWEK surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Poland, such as the village of Sławków in the Silesian region, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in certain areas.
Throughout its history, the SLAWEK surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Slawek, Sławek, Sławik, and Sławicki, reflecting the evolving linguistic and cultural influences in different regions of Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slawek
Among Census respondents with the surname Slawek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Slawek 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 Slawek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 115
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slawek
Slawek 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+5 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,193 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-8 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,930 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 4,193 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 9,930 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 Slawek 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 | #131,379 | #141,309 | -7.6% |
| Count | 129 | 121 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slawek bearers went from 129 to 121 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 9,930 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #141,309.
FAQ
Slawek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slawek?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Slawek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Slawek?
Slawek ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Slawek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Slawek.
Has Slawek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slawek went from 129 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Slawek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slawek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Slawek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slawek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Slawek (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 Slawek mean?
A Polish surname derived from the Slavic word "slava" meaning glory or fame. 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 Slawek (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 Slawek?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Slawek at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.