2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Szemborski
A surname of Polish origin meaning "from Szemborsk", a town near Konin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Szemborski. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Szemborski 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Szemborski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Szemborski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Szemborski
The surname Szemborski is of Polish origin, arising in the late medieval period. It derives from the Polish personal name "Szemborz," which itself has roots in the Slavic words "sięm" meaning "family" and "bor" meaning "warrior" or "fighter." Thus, the name Szemborski likely referred to those from a family line of warriors or fighters.
The earliest known records of the Szemborski name appear in 15th century manuscripts from the region of Wielkopolska in west-central Poland. One such document from 1462 mentions a "Jan Szemborski" as a landowner in the village of Książ Wielkopolski. This suggests the name had already become an established surname by that point.
In the 16th century, the Szemborski name spread beyond Wielkopolska as families migrated to other parts of Poland. A 1583 census record from the town of Sandomierz lists a blacksmith named "Maciej Szemborski." This could indicate the name was being adopted by townspeople and tradesmen, not just the nobility.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the Szemborski name was Piotr Szemborski, a Polish noble who served as a military commander under King Stefan Batory in the 1570s during the Livonian War against Sweden and Russia. Szemborski helped lead forces that secured key victories, demonstrating the warrior heritage implied by the name.
The 17th century brought another prominent Szemborski - the clergyman and scholar Hieronim Szemborski (1572-1639). He served as the Bishop of Przemyśl and authored multiple works on theology and church law, showing the diversity of pursuits among those with this surname.
Centuries later, the Szemborski name appeared in the history of the Polish uprisings against Russian rule in the 19th century. Jan Szemborski (1805-1860) was an officer who fought in the November Uprising of 1830-31, while Karol Szemborski (1822-1893) took part in the January Uprising of 1863-64 seeking Polish independence.
While dispersed globally by migration over time, the Szemborski name maintains strongest ties to its Polish linguistic and cultural origins rooted in the legacy of warriors and family honor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Szemborski
Among Census respondents with the surname Szemborski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Szemborski 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 Szemborski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 119
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Szemborski
Szemborski 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-9 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,749 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 16,749 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 1,100 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 Szemborski 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 | #143,149 | #142,049 | 0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 120 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Szemborski bearers went from 116 to 120 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 1,100 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #142,049.
FAQ
Szemborski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Szemborski?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Szemborski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Szemborski?
Szemborski ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Szemborski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Szemborski.
Has Szemborski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Szemborski went from 116 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 4 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Szemborski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Szemborski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Szemborski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Szemborski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Szemborski (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 Szemborski mean?
A surname of Polish origin meaning "from Szemborsk", a town near Konin. 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 Szemborski (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 Szemborski?
Want to know how many people are called Szemborski? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.