2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Switek
A Polish surname derived from the name of a plant or flower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Switek. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Switek 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Switek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Switek, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Switek
The surname Switek is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Silesia, an area that has historically been part of both Poland and Germany. The name is likely derived from the Polish word "świt," which means "dawn" or "daybreak."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Switek can be found in the Liber Beneficiorum, an ecclesiastical document from the 14th century that recorded appointments and benefices within the Catholic Church. In this document, a certain "Johannes Switek" is mentioned as a cleric in the Diocese of Wrocław (Breslau) in the year 1376.
The Switek name also appears in various municipal records and historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, particularly in the towns and villages of Silesia. For example, in the town of Nysa (Neisse), there is a record from 1492 mentioning a "Hans Switek" who was a local landowner and farmer.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Switek surname began to spread beyond Silesia as Polish migration and resettlement increased. One notable figure from this period was Jakub Switek (1560-1628), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian who served as a canon in the Diocese of Płock.
In the 18th century, the Switek name can be found in various records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including birth and marriage registers. A prominent individual was Jan Switek (1720-1788), a Polish military officer who fought in the wars against the Ottoman Empire and later served as a colonel in the Polish army.
As the 19th century dawned, the Switek name continued to be associated with notable figures in Poland. One such individual was Franciszek Switek (1810-1876), a Polish writer and journalist who contributed to several literary publications and was involved in the Polish independence movement.
Throughout the 20th century, the Switek surname remained prominent in Poland, with several individuals achieving recognition in various fields. These include Stanisław Switek (1892-1944), a Polish military officer and resistance fighter during World War II, and Józef Switek (1920-1992), a renowned Polish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Warsaw and other cities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Switek
Among Census respondents with the surname Switek, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Switek 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 Switek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Switek
Switek 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+10 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 981 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 393 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 981 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 393 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 Switek 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 | #148,347 | #147,954 | 0.3% |
| Count | 111 | 112 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Switek bearers went from 111 to 112 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 393 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #147,954.
FAQ
Switek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Switek?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Switek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Switek?
Switek ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Switek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Switek.
Has Switek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Switek went from 111 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Switek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Switek, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Switek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Switek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Switek (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 Switek mean?
A Polish surname derived from the name of a plant or flower. 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 Switek (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 Switek?
Find out how many people have the last name Switek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.