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

Szymczak, 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 Szymczak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Szymczak in America

Szymczak is the 17639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Szymczak surname appeared 1,593 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Szymczak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Szymczak 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.

The history of the last name Szymczak

The surname Szymczak has its origins in Poland, dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Polish word "szymek," which translates to "little Simon." This suggests that the name may have originally been a diminutive form or nickname for someone named Simon.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Polish records and documents, often referring to individuals from the regions of Greater Poland and Silesia. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jan Szymczak, a landowner from the town of Gniezno, mentioned in a 1387 record.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name appears to have spread across various parts of Poland, with variations in spelling such as Szymczyk, Szymczyk, and Szymsczak. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation and transliteration.

In the 17th century, the name gained prominence in the region of Wielkopolska, where a notable figure named Jakub Szymczak (1623-1688) served as a respected judge and legal scholar. His contributions to Polish jurisprudence were documented in several historical texts of the time.

Another notable bearer of the name was Tomasz Szymczak (1780-1849), a Polish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent landowner in the Mazovian region. His military exploits and landholdings were recorded in various contemporary accounts.

In the 19th century, the name appeared in literary works, with a character named Franciszek Szymczak featuring in the novel "The Deluge" by Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916), winner of the 1905 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Other historical figures with the Szymczak surname include the Polish painter and graphic artist Tadeusz Szymczak (1900-1983), whose works are preserved in several museums, and the Polish chess player Wladyslaw Szymczak (1908-1981), who represented Poland in international tournaments.

While the name Szymczak is predominantly Polish in origin, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of Eastern Europe, particularly in areas with historical Polish influences or migrations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Szymczak

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

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 Szymczak was:

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 Szymczak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Szymczak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!