Szczesny last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Szczesny is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Szczesny.

Meaning of Szczesny

A Polish surname derived from the Polish word "szczęście" meaning "happiness" or "good luck".

Szczesny, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Szczesny surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Szczesny in America

Szczesny is the 28940th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Szczesny surname appeared 821 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Szczesny.

We can also compare 2010 data for Szczesny to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank2894029142-0.70%
Count8217666.93%
Proportion per 100k0.280.280.00%

The history of the last name Szczesny

The surname Szczesny has its origins in Poland, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "szczęsny," which means "fortunate" or "happy." The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone perceived as being fortunate or living a prosperous life.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Szczesny can be traced back to the 14th century in various historical records from various regions of Poland. It is believed to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Mazovia and Lesser Poland, where it was commonly used among the Polish nobility and gentry.

One of the earliest known references to the name Szczesny can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Poloniae" from the year 1387, where a nobleman named Jakub Szczesny is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction. This document provides valuable insight into the early usage of the surname in medieval Poland.

Throughout the centuries, the Szczesny surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Jan Szczesny (1597-1654), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars during the 17th century. Another notable figure was Tomasz Szczesny (1680-1744), a Polish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

In the 19th century, the Szczesny surname gained further prominence with the birth of Józef Szczesny (1802-1868), a Polish painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. His works are celebrated for their portrayal of historical and religious themes, and he is considered one of the most influential Polish painters of the Romantic era.

Another noteworthy individual with the Szczesny surname was Izabela Szczesna (1818-1898), a Polish writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education. Her literary works and activism played a crucial role in shaping the discourse on gender equality in 19th-century Poland.

While the Szczesny surname has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the cultural and linguistic heritage of Poland, reflecting the country's rich tapestry of surnames and their meanings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Szczesny

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Szczesny.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Szczesny was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only95.86%787
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.73%6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races1.10%9
Hispanic Origin1.95%16

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Szczesny has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White95.86%97.52%-1.72%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.73%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%0.00%(S)%
Two or More Races1.10%0.65%51.43%
Hispanic1.95%1.04%60.87%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Szczesny was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Szczesny, please contact us.

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