2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Szalwinski
A surname likely of Polish origin derived from a nickname for a mischievous or reckless person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Szalwinski. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Szalwinski 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Szalwinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Szalwinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Szalwinski
The surname SZALWINSKI is of Polish origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Polish word "szal," meaning "madness" or "frenzy," potentially referring to a person's temperament or personality traits. Alternatively, it could be linked to the Polish word "szaławiła," which translates to a type of woven fabric or cloth.
The earliest known record of the SZALWINSKI surname appears in a historical document from the town of Gdańsk (formerly known as Danzig) in the year 1587. This document mentions a merchant named Jan SZALWINSKI, who was involved in the Baltic Sea trade routes during that era.
In the 17th century, the SZALWINSKI name can be found in various records from the regions of Wielkopolska and Mazowsze in central Poland. One notable individual from this time period was Michał SZALWINSKI, a landowner and military officer who participated in the Polish-Swedish wars of the mid-1600s.
As the SZALWINSKI family spread across Poland, variations in spelling emerged, such as SZALWINSKY, SZALWIŃSKA, and SZALWIŃSKI. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SZALWINSKI name outside of Poland can be found in the archives of the Prussian city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in the late 18th century. A merchant named Jakub SZALWINSKI is listed as having established a trading company in the city during this period.
In the 19th century, several notable individuals bearing the SZALWINSKI surname emerged. These include:
1. Franciszek SZALWINSKI (1810-1876), a Polish writer and journalist who contributed to the development of Polish literature.
2. Kazimierz SZALWINSKI (1832-1901), a Polish painter and art educator who taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków.
3. Józefa SZALWIŃSKA (1867-1942), a Polish operatic soprano who performed in various European opera houses during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
As the SZALWINSKI family continued to spread across Europe and beyond, notable individuals bearing this surname can be found in various fields throughout the 20th century. For example:
4. Władysław SZALWINSKI (1904-1987), a Polish-American engineer and inventor who held numerous patents related to automotive technologies.
5. Maria SZALWIŃSKA (1928-2010), a Polish actress and theater director who was renowned for her performances in classical Polish dramas.
While these are just a few examples, the SZALWINSKI surname has a rich history rooted in Polish culture and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various domains over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Szalwinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Szalwinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Szalwinski 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 Szalwinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Szalwinski
Szalwinski 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-8 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,423 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-12 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 16,423 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 9,535 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 Szalwinski 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 | #145,220 | #154,755 | -6.6% |
| Count | 114 | 102 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Szalwinski bearers went from 114 to 102 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 9,535 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #154,755.
FAQ
Szalwinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Szalwinski?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Szalwinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Szalwinski?
Szalwinski ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Szalwinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Szalwinski.
Has Szalwinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Szalwinski went from 114 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Szalwinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Szalwinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Szalwinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Szalwinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Szalwinski (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 Szalwinski mean?
A surname likely of Polish origin derived from a nickname for a mischievous or reckless person. 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 Szalwinski (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 people have the last name Szalwinski?
See how common the surname Szalwinski is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.