2000
#18,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,383
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Urbaniak
A Polish surname derived from the word "urban" meaning city-dweller or townsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,550 Americans carry the last name Urbaniak. That puts it at #19,925 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 221,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urbaniak 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Urbaniak with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 221,132
Census rank
#19,925
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,352 bearers of the surname Urbaniak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19925th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urbaniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urbaniak
The surname Urbaniak has its origins in Poland. It is a locational name derived from the Polish word "urbańczyk" meaning "inhabitant of the town or village". The name likely emerged during the medieval period when surnames began to become hereditary in Poland, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Akta Grodzkie (Castle Court Records) of the Polish town of Sandomierz from 1423, where a certain "Andrzej Urbaniak" is mentioned. These court records were a collection of documents related to legal proceedings and property transactions in the region.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Metryka Koronna (Crown Metrica), a collection of records from the royal chancery of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dating back to the 15th century. In these records, there is a mention of a "Jan Urbaniak" from the village of Opoczno in the Sandomierz region.
The name Urbaniak is also associated with several notable historical figures. One such individual was Jan Urbaniak (1566-1634), a Polish Jesuit priest and philosopher who taught at the Jesuit College in Kalisz. He was known for his work on logic and metaphysics.
Another prominent figure was Walenty Urbaniak (1758-1826), a Polish military officer who fought in the Kościuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794. He later served in the Polish Legions during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, the name was borne by Stanisław Urbaniak (1820-1891), a Polish painter and art teacher who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. His works often depicted scenes from Polish history and folklore.
Moving into the 20th century, the name was carried by Tomasz Urbaniak (1901-1981), a Polish engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of mining machinery and technology.
Finally, a more recent example is Jadwiga Urbaniak (1922-2006), a Polish actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and theatrical productions throughout her career, earning numerous awards and accolades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urbaniak
Among Census respondents with the surname Urbaniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Urbaniak 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 Urbaniak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,258
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 37
- Two or more races2.4% · 33
- Black or African American1.0% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urbaniak
Urbaniak 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
#19,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,402
+19 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 869 places
2020
#19,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,352
-50 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 619 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,437 | 1,383 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,306 | 1,402 | 0.48 | +19 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 869 places |
| 2020 | #19,925 | 1,352 | 0.45 | -50 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 619 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 Urbaniak 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 | #19,306 | #19,925 | -3.2% |
| Count | 1,402 | 1,352 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.45 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urbaniak bearers went from 1,402 to 1,352 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 619 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,306 to #19,925.
FAQ
Urbaniak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urbaniak?
Name Census estimates that about 1,550 living Americans carry the surname Urbaniak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 221,132 residents.
How common is Urbaniak?
Urbaniak ranks #19,925 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,352 people with the surname Urbaniak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,550), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Urbaniak.
Has Urbaniak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urbaniak went from 1,402 recorded bearers to 1,352. That is a decrease of 50 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,306 to #19,925.
What does the Census say about the background of Urbaniak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urbaniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Urbaniak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,258 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urbaniak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Urbaniak (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 Urbaniak mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "urban" meaning city-dweller or townsman. 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 Urbaniak (0.45 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 common is the surname Urbaniak?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Urbaniak at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.