2000
#9,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,317
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Urbanski
A Polish toponymic surname indicating a person who came from or lived in a town or city.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,510 Americans carry the last name Urbanski. That puts it at #10,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,651 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urbanski 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 Urbanski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,651
Census rank
#10,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,061 bearers of the surname Urbanski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urbanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urbanski
The surname Urbanski is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a territorial name derived from the Polish word "urban," meaning a resident or landowner of a town or city. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely urban dwellers or individuals who hailed from a specific town or city.
During the medieval period, many Polish towns and cities were governed by a system of German law known as the "Magdeburg Rights." This system allowed for greater autonomy and self-governance, attracting settlers from various parts of Europe. It is possible that the Urbanski surname emerged during this time as a means of identifying individuals associated with these urban settlements.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Urbanski name can be found in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of documents from the Polish Crown Chancery, dating back to the 15th century. This suggests that the name had already established itself among the Polish nobility and urban classes by that time.
Notable individuals bearing the Urbanski surname include Jan Urbanski (1508-1572), a Polish theologian and rector of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Another prominent figure was Tomasz Urbanski (1670-1744), a Polish architect and builder who designed numerous churches and palaces in the Baroque style.
In the 19th century, Andrzej Urbanski (1811-1887) was a Polish novelist and playwright who wrote works that explored themes of social injustice and national identity. His contemporary, Stanisław Urbanski (1818-1892), was a renowned Polish painter and illustrator known for his depictions of historical scenes and landscapes.
Moving into the 20th century, Jerzy Urbanski (1912-1995) was a Polish military officer and resistance fighter during World War II. He played a crucial role in the Warsaw Uprising against the German occupation and later became a respected historian and author.
Throughout its history, the Urbanski surname has been associated with various place names and locations within Poland, such as the towns of Urbanie, Urbanowice, and Urbanów. However, it is important to note that the surname's origins predate many of these place names, which may have been derived from the surname itself or from individuals bearing the name who settled in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urbanski
Among Census respondents with the surname Urbanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Urbanski 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 Urbanski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,847
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 118
- Two or more races1.9% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urbanski
Urbanski 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
#9,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,270
-47 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 828 places
2020
#10,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,061
-209 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,062 | 3,317 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,890 | 3,270 | 1.11 | -47 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 828 places |
| 2020 | #10,040 | 3,061 | 1.02 | -209 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 150 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 Urbanski 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 | #9,890 | #10,040 | -1.5% |
| Count | 3,270 | 3,061 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.02 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urbanski bearers went from 3,270 to 3,061 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,890 to #10,040.
FAQ
Urbanski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urbanski?
Name Census estimates that about 3,510 living Americans carry the surname Urbanski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,651 residents.
How common is Urbanski?
Urbanski ranks #10,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,061 people with the surname Urbanski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Urbanski.
Has Urbanski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urbanski went from 3,270 recorded bearers to 3,061. That is a decrease of 209 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,890 to #10,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Urbanski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urbanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Urbanski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,847 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urbanski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Urbanski (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 Urbanski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname indicating a person who came from or lived in a town or city. 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 Urbanski (1.02 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 have the last name Urbanski?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Urbanski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.