2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Twardoski
A Polish surname derived from the word "twardy", meaning "hard" or "tough".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Twardoski. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Twardoski 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Twardoski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Twardoski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Twardoski
The surname Twardoski originated in Poland, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "twardy," meaning "hard" or "firm," and may have been initially given as a descriptive name to someone with a strong or hardened character or appearance.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the town of Poznan, where a certain Jan Twardoski was mentioned in a document dated 1487. Another early record comes from the city of Krakow, where a Marcin Twardoski was listed among the local gentry in the late 16th century.
The surname Twardoski has several variations in spelling, including Twardowski, Twardzicki, and Twardzik, which likely emerged as the name spread across different regions of Poland and neighboring countries.
A notable figure bearing this name was Samuel Twardowski (1595-1661), a Polish poet and translator who was widely regarded as one of the most prominent writers of the Baroque period in Polish literature. His works, such as the epic poem "Wojna Chocimska" (The War of Khotyn), were highly influential and helped establish the Polish literary canon.
Another significant individual with this surname was Wojciech Twardowski (1833-1917), a Polish engineer and inventor who is credited with developing one of the earliest practical steel-making processes. His contributions to the field of metallurgy were instrumental in the industrial revolution and earned him recognition both in Poland and abroad.
In the 19th century, a famous bearer of the Twardoski name was Kazimierz Twardowski (1866-1938), a Polish philosopher and logician who played a crucial role in the development of the Lvov-Warsaw School of Logic. His work on the theory of objects and logical semantics had a lasting impact on the field of philosophy and influenced many subsequent thinkers.
The Twardoski surname can also be found in historical records from other parts of Eastern Europe, such as Lithuania and Belarus, likely due to migration and cultural exchange between these regions and Poland over the centuries.
Throughout its history, the name Twardoski has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, inventors, and nobility, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who bore this distinctive Polish surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Twardoski
Among Census respondents with the surname Twardoski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Twardoski 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 Twardoski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 119
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Twardoski
Twardoski 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+13 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,852 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-18 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | +13 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 1,852 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 17,501 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 Twardoski 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 | #124,548 | #142,049 | -14.1% |
| Count | 138 | 120 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Twardoski bearers went from 138 to 120 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 17,501 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #142,049.
FAQ
Twardoski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Twardoski?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Twardoski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Twardoski?
Twardoski ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Twardoski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Twardoski.
Has Twardoski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Twardoski went from 138 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Twardoski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Twardoski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%). 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 Twardoski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Twardoski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Black (0.8%). 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 Twardoski (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 Twardoski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "twardy", meaning "hard" or "tough". 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 Twardoski (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 Twardoski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.