2000
#13,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,011
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Szczepanski
A Polish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Szczepan's village," referring to the given name Szczepan (Stephen).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,307 Americans carry the last name Szczepanski. That puts it at #14,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,571 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Szczepanski 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 Szczepanski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,571
Census rank
#14,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,012 bearers of the surname Szczepanski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Szczepanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Szczepanski
The surname Szczepanski has its origins in Poland, dating back to the medieval period. This patronymic name is derived from the Polish personal name Szczepan, which is a variation of the Slavic name Stepan or Stefan, meaning "crown" or "garland." The suffix "-ski" is a typical Polish surname ending, indicating belonging or descent.
The name Szczepanski is believed to have originated in the regions of Greater Poland, Silesia, and Pomerania, where it was commonly found among the Polish nobility and gentry. Records of the name can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various historical documents and chronicles.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Szczepanski name appears in the Księga Henrykowska (Book of Henryków), a 13th-century manuscript from the Cistercian monastery in Henryków, Silesia. This document contains references to individuals with the name Szczepanski, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
In the 15th century, the Szczepanski family held significant landholdings and estates in the Poznań region of Greater Poland. Notable members of the family included Jan Szczepanski (1420-1495), a prominent nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Teutonic wars, and Katarzyna Szczepanska (1470-1532), a renowned patroness of the arts and culture.
The Szczepanski name also gained recognition in the 16th century with Mikołaj Szczepanski (1520-1589), a renowned humanist scholar and writer who authored several works on Polish history and literature. Another prominent figure was Stanisław Szczepanski (1554-1618), a celebrated architect and engineer who designed numerous churches and fortifications in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Szczepanski family continued to play a significant role in Polish society. Notable individuals included Józef Szczepanski (1642-1718), a celebrated military leader who served under King Jan III Sobieski, and Anna Szczepanska (1678-1752), a renowned philanthropist and patron of the arts.
Throughout the centuries, the Szczepanski name has been associated with various place names and historical locations in Poland, such as the village of Szczepanów in Lesser Poland and the town of Szczepanków in Greater Poland. These place names likely derived from the personal name Szczepan or Szczepanski.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Szczepanski
Among Census respondents with the surname Szczepanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Szczepanski 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 Szczepanski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,871
- Two or more races3.2% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Szczepanski
Szczepanski 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
#14,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,036
+25 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 815 places
2020
#14,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,012
-24 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,802 | 2,011 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,617 | 2,036 | 0.69 | +25 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 815 places |
| 2020 | #14,307 | 2,012 | 0.67 | -24 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 310 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 Szczepanski 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 | #14,617 | #14,307 | 2.1% |
| Count | 2,036 | 2,012 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.67 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Szczepanski bearers went from 2,036 to 2,012 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 310 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,617 to #14,307.
FAQ
Szczepanski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Szczepanski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,307 living Americans carry the surname Szczepanski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,571 residents.
How common is Szczepanski?
Szczepanski ranks #14,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,012 people with the surname Szczepanski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Szczepanski.
Has Szczepanski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Szczepanski went from 2,036 recorded bearers to 2,012. That is a decrease of 24 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,617 to #14,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Szczepanski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Szczepanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Szczepanski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,871 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Szczepanski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Szczepanski (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 Szczepanski mean?
A Polish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Szczepan's village," referring to the given name Szczepan (Stephen). 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 Szczepanski (0.67 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 common is the surname Szczepanski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Szczepanski is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.