2000
#12,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Stefanski
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "Stephen's village" or "Stephen's place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,460 Americans carry the last name Stefanski. That puts it at #13,547 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stefanski 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 Stefanski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,331
Census rank
#13,547
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,145 bearers of the surname Stefanski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13547th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stefanski
The surname STEFANSKI originated in Poland in the 15th century. It is derived from the Polish personal name Stefan, which comes from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath."
The earliest known record of the surname STEFANSKI appears in a Polish census document from 1478, where it was spelled "Stiefansky." This spelling variation likely arose due to regional dialects and the influence of other languages in the area at the time.
In the 16th century, the surname STEFANSKI can be found in various Polish parish records and land ownership documents, particularly in the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland. Some notable historical figures with this surname include Jan STEFANSKI (1583-1645), a Polish nobleman and landowner, and Mikołaj STEFANSKI (1612-1687), a Polish Catholic priest and author.
The surname STEFANSKI is also associated with several notable place names in Poland. For example, the village of Stefanów in the Lublin Voivodeship was likely named after an early settler with the surname STEFANSKI. Similarly, the town of Stefanowo in the Masovian Voivodeship may have derived its name from the same source.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname STEFANSKI. Some examples include:
1. Teodor STEFANSKI (1838-1910), a Polish painter and art teacher.
2. Stanisław STEFANSKI (1877-1944), a Polish engineer and inventor of the first successful mine detector.
3. Wacław STEFANSKI (1911-1994), a Polish footballer who played for the Polish national team in the 1930s.
4. Zygmunt STEFANSKI (1923-2008), a Polish politician and member of the Sejm (Polish parliament) during the communist era.
5. Krzysztof STEFANSKI (born 1954), a Polish actor and theater director.
The surname STEFANSKI has since spread beyond Poland due to migration and diasporas, but its roots can be traced back to the 15th century in the Polish regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stefanski
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stefanski 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 Stefanski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 2,017
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 62
- Two or more races2.2% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stefanski
Stefanski 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
#13,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,311
-42 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,072 places
2020
#13,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,145
-166 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 326 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,149 | 2,353 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,221 | 2,311 | 0.78 | -42 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,072 places |
| 2020 | #13,547 | 2,145 | 0.72 | -166 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 326 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 Stefanski 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 | #13,221 | #13,547 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,311 | 2,145 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.72 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stefanski bearers went from 2,311 to 2,145 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 326 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,221 to #13,547.
FAQ
Stefanski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stefanski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,460 living Americans carry the surname Stefanski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,331 residents.
How common is Stefanski?
Stefanski ranks #13,547 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,145 people with the surname Stefanski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,460), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Stefanski.
Has Stefanski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stefanski went from 2,311 recorded bearers to 2,145. That is a decrease of 166 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,221 to #13,547.
What does the Census say about the background of Stefanski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Stefanski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stefanski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Stefanski (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 Stefanski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "Stephen's village" or "Stephen's place." 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 Stefanski (0.72 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 have the surname Stefanski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.