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

Tarnowski, 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 Tarnowski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tarnowski in America

Tarnowski is the 17379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tarnowski surname appeared 1,625 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 Tarnowski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tarnowski 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 Tarnowski

The surname Tarnowski originates from Poland, with records dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the word "Tarnów," a town in southern Poland, and the suffix "-ski" denotes a territorial association, suggesting that the name originated from a person who lived or owned land in Tarnów.

The earliest known reference to the Tarnowski name can be found in the "Księga ubogich" (Book of the Poor), a 15th-century record of noble families in the region of Małopolska (Lesser Poland). One of the first notable individuals with this surname was Jan Amor Tarnowski, a Polish nobleman and diplomat who lived from 1488 to 1561.

In the 16th century, the Tarnowski family rose to prominence, with several members holding influential positions in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Jan Krzysztof Tarnowski (1537-1567) was a military commander and castellan of Cracow, while Jan Tarnowski (1555-1605) served as the Grand Crown Hetman, a prestigious military position.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Tarnowski name appeared in various historical records, including the "Herby Rycerstwa Polskiego" (Coats of Arms of the Polish Nobility) by Bartosz Paprocki, published in 1584. This work documented the coats of arms and genealogies of noble families in Poland.

One of the most notable figures with the Tarnowski surname was Stanisław Tarnowski (1837-1917), a Polish writer, historian, and politician who served as the Minister of Education and Religion in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was also a prominent member of the Galician conservative movement known as the "Stańczycy."

In the 20th century, Kazimierz Tarnowski (1887-1968) was a Polish painter and stage designer who played a significant role in the development of Polish avant-garde art. His works were heavily influenced by Cubism and Expressionism.

While the Tarnowski name has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and diaspora. However, its historical significance remains closely tied to the Polish nobility and the cultural heritage of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tarnowski

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tarnowski, 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!