2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wadowski
A Polish surname derived from a place name and meaning "from Wadowice".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Wadowski. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wadowski 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Wadowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wadowski
The surname Wadowski has its origins in Poland, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "woda," which means "water," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a body of water or worked in a water-related occupation.
Early records show variations of the spelling, such as Wadowsky and Wadovski, which were common in the regions of Poznan and Krakow. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Kodeks Dzikowski, a 15th-century manuscript that chronicles the history of the Cistercian monastery in the village of Dzikowiec.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Wadowski was Jan Wadowski, a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Lithuanian wars against Muscovy. He was born in 1540 and died in 1602, leaving a lasting legacy in the annals of Polish military history.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Tomasz Wadowski, a Polish poet and playwright who lived from 1630 to 1690. His works, which included satirical plays and romantic poetry, were widely acclaimed during the Polish Renaissance period.
The name Wadowski can also be traced back to the village of Wadowice, located in southern Poland. It is possible that some individuals with this surname may have originated from this region or had ancestors who lived there.
In the 19th century, a Wadowski family was documented in the town of Wadowice-Górne, with records indicating that they were landowners and prominent members of the local community.
Other notable individuals with the surname Wadowski include Stanislaw Wadowski, a Polish artist and sculptor who lived from 1876 to 1942, and Aleksandra Wadowska, a Polish writer and journalist born in 1898, who was known for her contributions to the women's rights movement in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wadowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wadowski 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 Wadowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wadowski
Wadowski 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,457 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,457 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 Wadowski 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 | #151,532 | #152,989 | -1.0% |
| Count | 108 | 105 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wadowski bearers went from 108 to 105 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,457 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,989.
FAQ
Wadowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wadowski?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Wadowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Wadowski?
Wadowski ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Wadowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Wadowski.
Has Wadowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wadowski went from 108 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Wadowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wadowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Wadowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wadowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Wadowski (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 Wadowski mean?
A Polish surname derived from a place name and meaning "from Wadowice". 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 Wadowski (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 common is the surname Wadowski?
If you just want to know how many people are called Wadowski, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.