2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Szymula
A Polish surname likely derived from a variation of the word "szemrak" meaning "gloomy" or "shady."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Szymula. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Szymula 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Szymula in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Szymula, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Szymula
The surname Szymula has its origins in Poland, where it emerged during the medieval period. It is a Polish variation of the Germanic name "Simon," which itself is derived from the Hebrew name "Shim'on," meaning "he has heard."
The name Szymula is believed to have first appeared in historical records around the 13th century, when Poland was a powerful kingdom ruled by the Piast dynasty. It was likely borne by individuals from the region of Silesia, which was then a part of Poland but is now split between Poland and the Czech Republic.
One of the earliest known references to the name Szymula can be found in the Liber Beneficiorum, a 14th-century manuscript that recorded the names of landowners and their properties in the Archdiocese of Gniezno, one of the oldest and most prestigious Catholic dioceses in Poland.
A notable bearer of the name Szymula was Jan Szymula (c. 1450-1520), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in several wars against the Teutonic Knights, a powerful military order that controlled parts of modern-day Poland and the Baltic region. Szymula was renowned for his bravery and strategic acumen on the battlefield.
Another prominent figure was Katarzyna Szymula (1589-1658), a Polish noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in the cultural and intellectual life of her time. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support for the Polish Brethren, a Protestant movement that advocated for religious tolerance and education.
In the 18th century, the name Szymula was also associated with the village of Szymulka, located in the Masovian Voivodeship of central Poland. The village's name is believed to have been derived from the surname Szymula, suggesting that the area may have been inhabited or owned by individuals bearing this name in the past.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Józef Szymula (1847-1919) gained recognition as a Polish painter and art teacher. Born in Krakow, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and later taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, where he helped shape the artistic talents of many aspiring Polish artists.
Another notable bearer of the name was Zygmunt Szymula (1910-1986), a Polish writer and journalist who specialized in science fiction and popularizing scientific topics. His works, which included novels, short stories, and non-fiction books, played a significant role in promoting scientific literacy and fostering an interest in science among the general public in Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Szymula
Among Census respondents with the surname Szymula, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Szymula 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 Szymula surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Szymula
Szymula 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+11 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,528 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,528 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,267 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 Szymula 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 | #139,228 | #146,495 | -5.2% |
| Count | 120 | 114 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Szymula bearers went from 120 to 114 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,267 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #146,495.
FAQ
Szymula surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Szymula?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Szymula. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Szymula?
Szymula ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Szymula. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Szymula.
Has Szymula become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Szymula went from 120 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Szymula?
Among Census respondents with the surname Szymula, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Szymula in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Szymula appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Szymula (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 Szymula mean?
A Polish surname likely derived from a variation of the word "szemrak" meaning "gloomy" or "shady." 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 Szymula (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 have the last name Szymula?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Szymula on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.