2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Slywka
An ethnic surname derived from the Slavic root "sliv" referring to plum trees or orchards.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Slywka. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slywka 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Slywka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slywka, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slywka
The surname SLYWKA is believed to have originated in Poland during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Polish word "sliwa," meaning "plum." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a plum orchard or who worked with plums in some capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SLYWKA can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Krakow, where a merchant named Jan SLYWKA is mentioned as having sold plum preserves and other fruit products. This provides further evidence of the name's connection to plums and the fruit trade.
In the 16th century, the SLYWKA name appears in church records from the village of Lipnica, located in the Małopolskie region of southern Poland. A farmer by the name of Maciej SLYWKA (born around 1520) is listed as owning several acres of land and orchards, including a sizable plum grove.
During the 17th century, the SLYWKA name began to spread beyond its initial regional origins. Andrzej SLYWKA (1612-1687), a skilled woodcarver from the town of Nowy Sącz, gained recognition for his intricate carvings of plum trees and plum-related motifs on furniture and religious artifacts.
In the late 18th century, a nobleman named Stanisław SLYWKA (1745-1819) is recorded as having served in the Polish army during the Kościuszko Uprising against Russian and Prussian forces. He later became a landowner and established a successful distillery that produced a popular plum-flavored spirit.
Another notable figure with the SLYWKA surname was Katarzyna SLYWKA (1823-1891), a renowned folk artist from the village of Zalipie, known for her vibrant and intricate floral paintings that often featured plum blossoms and plum motifs. Her work helped to preserve and promote the traditional art forms of the Małopolska region.
Throughout its history, the SLYWKA name has maintained a strong connection to its likely origins as a surname associated with plums and the cultivation or trade of this fruit. While the name has spread beyond its initial regional roots, its enduring ties to Polish heritage and the symbolic significance of the plum remain an integral part of its cultural identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slywka
Among Census respondents with the surname Slywka, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Slywka 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 Slywka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slywka
Slywka 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,890 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,890 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,441 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 Slywka 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 | #143,149 | #153,590 | -7.3% |
| Count | 116 | 104 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slywka bearers went from 116 to 104 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,441 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #153,590.
FAQ
Slywka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slywka?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Slywka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Slywka?
Slywka ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Slywka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Slywka.
Has Slywka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slywka went from 116 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Slywka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slywka, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) 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 Slywka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slywka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (2.9%), 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 Slywka (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 Slywka mean?
An ethnic surname derived from the Slavic root "sliv" referring to plum trees or orchards. 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 Slywka (0.03 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 common is the surname Slywka?
If you just want to know how common the surname Slywka is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.