2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Starosciak
An occupational surname derived from a Polish word meaning "elder" or "village elder".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Starosciak. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Starosciak 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Starosciak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Starosciak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Starosciak
The surname Starosciak originates from Poland, with its roots dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "stary," meaning "old," and likely referred to someone who was either elderly or lived in an old or long-established settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Starosciak can be found in the Akta Metrykalne, or Metrical Records, of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which date back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries. These records were maintained by churches and documented important events such as births, marriages, and deaths within local communities.
In the 18th century, the name Starosciak appeared in various historical documents and records, including land deeds and tax registers. For example, Jakub Starosciak was a landowner in the village of Wielowieś, near the city of Kraków, in the mid-1700s.
During the 19th century, several notable individuals bore the Starosciak surname. Franciszek Starosciak (1790-1858) was a Polish painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. His works were exhibited in various galleries throughout Europe.
Another prominent figure was Jan Starosciak (1822-1892), a Polish writer and journalist who was a vocal advocate for Polish independence during the partitions of Poland. He published several books and articles criticizing the occupying powers and calling for national unity.
In the early 20th century, Wladyslaw Starosciak (1901-1976) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Warsaw, including the Prudential Building and the Palace of Culture and Science.
While the surname Starosciak is predominantly found in Poland, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to immigration. Some notable individuals with this surname include Maria Starosciak (1924-2018), a Polish-American artist known for her intricate embroidery work, and Zbigniew Starosciak (born 1946), a Polish-Canadian engineer and academic who has made significant contributions to the field of structural engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Starosciak
Among Census respondents with the surname Starosciak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Starosciak 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 Starosciak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Starosciak
Starosciak 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,375 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-20 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,966 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 3,375 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 16,966 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 Starosciak 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 | #138,304 | #155,270 | -12.3% |
| Count | 121 | 101 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Starosciak bearers went from 121 to 101 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 16,966 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #155,270.
FAQ
Starosciak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Starosciak?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Starosciak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Starosciak?
Starosciak ranks #155,270 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 101 people with the surname Starosciak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Starosciak.
Has Starosciak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Starosciak went from 121 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Starosciak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Starosciak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Starosciak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Starosciak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%), Two or More Races (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 Starosciak (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 Starosciak mean?
An occupational surname derived from a Polish word meaning "elder" or "village elder". 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 Starosciak (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 many Americans have the surname Starosciak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.