2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Twardus
A Polish surname derived from the adjective "twardy" meaning "hard" or "solid".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Twardus. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Twardus 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Twardus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Twardus, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Twardus
The surname Twardus is of Polish origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Polish adjective "twardy," which means "hard" or "firm." This suggests that the name may have been originally bestowed upon an individual with a perceived strong or resilient character.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Twardus surname can be found in the Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie, a collection of court records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth dating back to the 15th century. These archives contain references to various individuals bearing the name, indicating its widespread use across the region during that time period.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Jan Twardus (1550-1616) gained recognition as a Polish poet and translator. His works, which included translations of ancient Greek and Roman texts, played a significant role in the development of Polish Renaissance literature.
Another prominent individual was Karol Twardus (1798-1872), a Polish military officer and engineer who served in the November Uprising against the Russian Empire. His contributions to fortification design and military strategies during the uprising were noteworthy.
Moving into the 19th century, Józef Twardus (1835-1901) was a Polish painter and illustrator known for his landscape and genre paintings, which captured the beauty of rural life in Poland at the time.
In the early 20th century, Tadeusz Twardus (1892-1964) was a Polish economist and politician who served as a member of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, during the interwar period.
The Twardus surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Poland, such as the village of Twardogóra in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, which may have derived its name from the presence of individuals bearing this surname in the area.
Throughout its history, the Twardus surname has maintained a strong presence in Poland, with numerous individuals making notable contributions across various fields, including literature, military, art, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Twardus
Among Census respondents with the surname Twardus, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Twardus 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 Twardus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Twardus
Twardus appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-16 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 15,012 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 Twardus 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 | #137,327 | #152,339 | -10.9% |
| Count | 122 | 106 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Twardus bearers went from 122 to 106 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 15,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #152,339.
FAQ
Twardus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Twardus?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Twardus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Twardus?
Twardus ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Twardus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Twardus.
Has Twardus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Twardus went from 122 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Twardus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Twardus, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Twardus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Twardus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Twardus (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 Twardus mean?
A Polish surname derived from the adjective "twardy" meaning "hard" or "solid". 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 Twardus (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 Americans have the surname Twardus?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.