2000
#111,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Swatkowski
A surname of Polish origin meaning "from the village of Swatki".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Swatkowski. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swatkowski 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Swatkowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swatkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swatkowski
The surname SWATKOWSKI originates from Poland. It dates back to the 13th century and is derived from the Polish word "swatka", which means matchmaker or marriage broker. The name likely referred to an occupation or profession associated with arranging marriages.
In the early days, the SWATKOWSKI name was found predominantly in the regions of Poznan, Kalisz, and Lodz in central Poland. It appeared in various medieval records and documents, such as land deeds, tax rolls, and church registries, indicating its widespread use among the Polish nobility and peasantry alike.
One of the earliest known references to the SWATKOWSKI name can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the Archdiocese of Gniezno, which mentions a certain "Swatek de Kalisz" (Swatek from Kalisz). This suggests that the name had already undergone some variations in spelling and form by that time.
In the 16th century, the SWATKOWSKI name gained prominence among the Polish gentry, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. Jan Swatkowski (1520-1590), a wealthy landowner and military commander, played a crucial role in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's victory against the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Piotrków in 1563.
Another prominent figure was Katarzyna Swatkowska (1570-1648), a renowned philanthropist and patron of the arts. She founded several schools and hospitals in the city of Poznan and was widely respected for her charitable works.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the SWATKOWSKI name continued to spread across various regions of Poland. Tomasz Swatkowski (1675-1738) was a renowned scholar and professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, contributing significantly to the fields of philosophy and theology.
In the 19th century, the SWATKOWSKI name gained international recognition with the birth of the acclaimed Polish writer and poet, Maria Swatkowska (1825-1892). Her literary works, which often explored themes of love, patriotism, and social injustice, earned her widespread acclaim and a place in the pantheon of Polish literature.
Despite its Polish origins, the SWATKOWSKI surname eventually found its way into other parts of Europe and beyond due to migration and diaspora. Individuals bearing this name have made their mark in various fields, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural diversity and human achievement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swatkowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Swatkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Swatkowski 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 Swatkowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swatkowski
Swatkowski 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
-14 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,307 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-13 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,741 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,740 | 146 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 17,307 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 13,741 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 Swatkowski 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 | #129,047 | #142,788 | -10.6% |
| Count | 132 | 119 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swatkowski bearers went from 132 to 119 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 13,741 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #142,788.
FAQ
Swatkowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swatkowski?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Swatkowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Swatkowski?
Swatkowski ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Swatkowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Swatkowski.
Has Swatkowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swatkowski went from 132 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Swatkowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swatkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Swatkowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swatkowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Swatkowski (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 Swatkowski mean?
A surname of Polish origin meaning "from the village of Swatki". 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 Swatkowski (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 Swatkowski?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Swatkowski, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.