2000
#18,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,392
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Tokarz
A Polish surname derived from the word "tokarz" meaning a turner or lathe operator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,493 Americans carry the last name Tokarz. That puts it at #20,612 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 229,574 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tokarz 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
1.5K
1 in 229,574
Census rank
#20,612
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,302 bearers of the surname Tokarz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20612th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tokarz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tokarz
The surname Tokarz originated in Poland, with its roots dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "tokarz," which means "turner" or "lathe operator," referring to a skilled craftsman who worked with lathes to shape wood, metal, or other materials.
Tokarz is considered a occupational surname, as it was initially given to individuals who practiced the trade of turning or working on a lathe. This type of surname was common in medieval times when surnames were often based on a person's occupation, craft, or trade.
In Poland, the name Tokarz can be traced back to various historical records and documents from the late 15th and early 16th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Akta Grodzkie Krakowskie (Cracow Territorial Records) from the year 1492, where a certain Mikołaj Tokarz is mentioned.
Another notable early reference to the name Tokarz can be found in the Metryka Koronna (Crown Metrica), a collection of legal and administrative records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dating back to the 16th century.
While the surname Tokarz is primarily associated with Poland, it has also been found in other Slavic countries, such as Ukraine and Belarus, likely due to migration patterns and cultural influences between these regions.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Tokarz. One such person was Andrzej Tokarz (1540-1608), a Polish nobleman and military commander who served under King Sigismund III Vasa during the Polish-Swedish War (1600-1629).
Another prominent figure was Jan Tokarz (1670-1737), a Polish painter and engraver who specialized in religious art and worked extensively for the Polish nobility and Catholic Church during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, Józef Tokarz (1820-1892) was a Polish writer and journalist who played a significant role in the development of Polish literature and the promotion of national identity during the period of partition.
More recently, Mieczysław Tokarz (1892-1942) was a Polish historian and professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, known for his works on the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Cossack uprisings.
Lastly, Stanisław Tokarz (1919-1998) was a Polish economist and politician who served as the Minister of Finance in the People's Republic of Poland from 1972 to 1976.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who carried the surname Tokarz throughout history, reflecting the rich cultural and historical significance of this name within the Polish context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tokarz
Among Census respondents with the surname Tokarz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tokarz 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 Tokarz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 1,228
- Two or more races3.0% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tokarz
Tokarz 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
#19,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,392
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 1,062 places
2020
#20,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,302
-90 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 1,196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,354 | 1,392 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,416 | 1,392 | 0.47 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,062 places |
| 2020 | #20,612 | 1,302 | 0.44 | -90 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 1,196 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 Tokarz 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 | #19,416 | #20,612 | -6.2% |
| Count | 1,392 | 1,302 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.44 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tokarz bearers went from 1,392 to 1,302 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 1,196 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,416 to #20,612.
FAQ
Tokarz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tokarz?
Name Census estimates that about 1,493 living Americans carry the surname Tokarz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 229,574 residents.
How common is Tokarz?
Tokarz ranks #20,612 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.44 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 1,302 people with the surname Tokarz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.44 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 Tokarz.
Has Tokarz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tokarz went from 1,392 recorded bearers to 1,302. That is a decrease of 90 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,416 to #20,612.
What does the Census say about the background of Tokarz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tokarz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Tokarz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (1,228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tokarz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Tokarz (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 Tokarz mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "tokarz" meaning a turner or lathe operator. 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 Tokarz (0.44 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 Tokarz?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Tokarz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.