2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tomkowiak
A Polish surname indicating the bearer lived near a mound or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Tomkowiak. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tomkowiak 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Tomkowiak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomkowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tomkowiak
The surname TOMKOWIAK is of Polish origin, with roots tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Greater Poland, specifically the areas around the cities of Poznań and Kalisz. The name is derived from the Polish word "tomkowie," which refers to a group of people or a community.
The earliest recorded instances of the TOMKOWIAK surname can be found in historical documents from the late 15th and early 16th centuries. These include parish records, tax registers, and land ownership records from various towns and villages in the Greater Poland region. The name was often spelled in a variety of ways, such as Tomkowiok, Tomkowicz, and Tomkowicz.
One notable mention of the TOMKOWIAK name is in the Poznań Grodskie Ksiegi, a collection of court records from the city of Poznań, dating back to the 16th century. There are several entries involving individuals with the surname TOMKOWIAK, indicating their involvement in legal matters or property disputes during that time.
In the 17th century, the TOMKOWIAK surname appears in the records of the Pauline Monastery in Jasna Góra, a significant religious and cultural center in Poland. This suggests that individuals bearing this name may have had connections to the monastery or the surrounding area.
Throughout the centuries, several prominent figures have carried the TOMKOWIAK surname:
1. Jan TOMKOWIAK (1825-1892), a Polish educator and writer, known for his contributions to the development of Polish language education in the Greater Poland region.
2. Stanisław TOMKOWIAK (1860-1932), a Polish architect and engineer, responsible for designing several notable buildings in the city of Poznań, including the Poznań Opera House.
3. Józef TOMKOWIAK (1910-1981), a Polish soldier and resistance fighter during World War II, recognized for his bravery and service in the Polish Underground State.
4. Maria TOMKOWIAK (1923-2002), a Polish artist and sculptor, renowned for her works in bronze and stone, which can be found in various public spaces and museums across Poland.
5. Kazimierz TOMKOWIAK (1937-2018), a Polish historian and academic, specializing in the history of the Greater Poland region, and author of several books and publications on the subject.
It is worth noting that the TOMKOWIAK surname has also been associated with certain place names in the Greater Poland region, such as the village of Tomkowice, which may have influenced or derived from the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tomkowiak
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomkowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tomkowiak 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 Tomkowiak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 103
- Black or African American9.1% · 11
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tomkowiak
Tomkowiak 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+10 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 334 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,860 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 334 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 4,860 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 Tomkowiak 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 | #136,449 | #141,309 | -3.6% |
| Count | 123 | 121 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tomkowiak bearers went from 123 to 121 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 4,860 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #141,309.
FAQ
Tomkowiak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tomkowiak?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Tomkowiak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Tomkowiak?
Tomkowiak ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Tomkowiak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Tomkowiak.
Has Tomkowiak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tomkowiak went from 123 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Tomkowiak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomkowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Tomkowiak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tomkowiak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Black (9.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Tomkowiak (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 Tomkowiak mean?
A Polish surname indicating the bearer lived near a mound or hill. 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 Tomkowiak (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 share the surname Tomkowiak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.