2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Toporowski
A Polish surname derived from "topor" meaning "axe" or "hatchet", possibly referring to an ancestor's occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Toporowski. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toporowski 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Toporowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toporowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toporowski
The surname Toporowski is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "topor," which means "axe." It likely originated in the medieval period and was initially used as a descriptive name for someone whose occupation involved working with axes, such as a woodcutter or lumberjack.
The earliest recorded instances of the Toporowski surname can be traced back to the 15th century in various regions of Poland. It's possible that the name first emerged in areas with significant forestry or timber industries, where the use of axes was prevalent. The name may have also been associated with certain Polish towns or villages, though records of such connections are scarce.
One notable historical reference to the Toporowski name is found in the "Liber Beneficiorum" (Book of Benefices), a 15th-century manuscript that documented ecclesiastical appointments and land grants in the Archdiocese of Gniezno, Poland. The document mentions a certain "Petrus Toporowski," who was granted a benefice (church property) in the village of Kościelec in the year 1489.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the Toporowski surname was Jan Toporowski (c. 1520-1589), a Polish nobleman and military leader. He served as a court marshal and played a significant role in the Polish-Muscovite War of 1577-1582, leading Polish forces to several victories against the Russians.
Another notable individual with the Toporowski name was Franciszek Toporowski (1770-1848), a Polish priest and historian. He authored several works on the history of Poland, including a renowned book titled "Dzieje Polskie" (Polish History), published in 1836.
In the 19th century, Władysław Toporowski (1835-1892) was a prominent Polish painter and art teacher. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków and later became a professor at the same institution, where he taught for many years and influenced a generation of Polish artists.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Józef Toporowski (1858-1919) was a Polish engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing one of the earliest designs for a helicopter, and his work contributed to the advancement of aeronautical engineering in Poland.
As the Toporowski surname spread across Poland and beyond, various spellings and variations emerged, including Toporowski, Toporowski, Toporowsky, and Toporovsky. These variations often reflected regional dialects or adaptations to different languages, but they all trace their roots back to the original Polish surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toporowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Toporowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Toporowski 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 Toporowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toporowski
Toporowski 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,333 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,333 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,441 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 Toporowski 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 | #143,149 | #153,590 | -7.3% |
| Count | 116 | 104 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toporowski bearers went from 116 to 104 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,441 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #153,590.
FAQ
Toporowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toporowski?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Toporowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Toporowski?
Toporowski ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Toporowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Toporowski.
Has Toporowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toporowski went from 116 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Toporowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toporowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Toporowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toporowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Hispanic (6.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Toporowski (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 Toporowski mean?
A Polish surname derived from "topor" meaning "axe" or "hatchet", possibly referring to an ancestor's occupation. 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 Toporowski (0.03 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 Toporowski?
If you just want to know how many people are called Toporowski, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.