2000
#42,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 485
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Swatek
A surname of Polish origin meaning "bright" or "brilliant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 600 Americans carry the last name Swatek. That puts it at #44,282 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 571,257 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swatek 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
600
1 in 571,257
Census rank
#44,282
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
523
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 523 bearers of the surname Swatek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44282nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swatek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swatek
The surname Swatek originates from Poland, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "świat," meaning "world" or "light," suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who had traveled extensively or possessed a bright and illuminating personality.
In the early 14th century, the name Swatek appeared in various historical records, including the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the Cracow region. One notable individual bearing this surname was Jan Swatek, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Kazimierz in the late 1300s.
The Swatek surname has undergone slight variations in spelling over the centuries, with alternative forms such as Swiatek, Świątek, and Świątek appearing in various documents. These variations likely emerged due to regional differences in pronunciation and the evolution of the Polish language.
Among the notable figures bearing the Swatek surname throughout history are:
1. Stanisław Swatek (1572-1638), a Polish noble and military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish War.
2. Józef Swatek (1819-1901), a Polish writer and poet known for his contributions to the Polish Romantic literary movement.
3. Andrzej Swatek (1891-1976), a Polish engineer and inventor who developed several innovative agricultural machines.
4. Wanda Swatek (1928-2016), a renowned Polish actress who appeared in numerous films and theater productions throughout her career.
5. Marek Swatek (born 1958), a Polish-born American mathematician and educator who has made significant contributions to the field of algebraic topology.
While the Swatek surname is predominantly found in Poland, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its roots and historical significance remain deeply connected to the Polish culture and language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swatek
Among Census respondents with the surname Swatek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Swatek 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 Swatek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 481
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 22
- Two or more races2.1% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swatek
Swatek 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
#40,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 532
+47 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 1,158 places
2020
#44,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 523
-9 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 3,306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,134 | 485 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,976 | 532 | 0.18 | +47 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 1,158 places |
| 2020 | #44,282 | 523 | 0.17 | -9 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,306 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 Swatek 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 | #40,976 | #44,282 | -8.1% |
| Count | 532 | 523 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swatek bearers went from 532 to 523 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,306 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,976 to #44,282.
FAQ
Swatek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swatek?
Name Census estimates that about 600 living Americans carry the surname Swatek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 571,257 residents.
How common is Swatek?
Swatek ranks #44,282 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 523 people with the surname Swatek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (600), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Swatek.
Has Swatek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swatek went from 532 recorded bearers to 523. That is a decrease of 9 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,976 to #44,282.
What does the Census say about the background of Swatek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swatek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Swatek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (481 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swatek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Swatek (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 Swatek mean?
A surname of Polish origin meaning "bright" or "brilliant." 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 Swatek (0.17 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 Swatek?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Swatek, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.