2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wanserski
A surname derived from the Polish word "wąs" meaning mustache.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Wanserski. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wanserski 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Wanserski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanserski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wanserski
The surname Wanserski is believed to have originated in Poland, though its precise roots are somewhat obscure. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that has since been lost to history or altered beyond recognition. Such names were often adopted by those who migrated from smaller settlements to larger towns or cities.
One theory suggests that Wanserski may be linked to the Old Polish word "wąska," meaning "narrow" or "slim," potentially indicating that the name's bearers hailed from a village or region with a narrow valley or pass. However, this connection remains speculative.
The earliest recorded instances of the Wanserski name date back to the 16th century, when it appeared in various Polish parish records and chronicles. Notably, a Jan Wanserski was mentioned in a 1572 document from the city of Krakow, where he was listed as a merchant and landowner.
In the 17th century, a Piotr Wanserski was a prominent figure in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, serving as a diplomat and envoy to several European courts. His travels and exploits were chronicled in various diplomatic dispatches and journals from the period.
The 18th century saw the rise of Andrzej Wanserski, a renowned Polish artist and painter who gained recognition for his intricate portraits and religious works. Several of his paintings can still be found in churches and museums across Poland.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Wanserski name was Zofia Wanserska, a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. She established several schools for girls in Warsaw and was instrumental in promoting equal educational opportunities for women in Poland.
Moving into the 20th century, Stanislaw Wanserski was a respected Polish historian and academic who authored numerous books and scholarly works on the nation's rich history and cultural heritage.
While the Wanserski surname may have originated from humble beginnings, its bearers have made significant contributions across various fields throughout the centuries, leaving an indelible mark on Polish society and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wanserski
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanserski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wanserski 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 Wanserski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 114
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wanserski
Wanserski 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-9 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,336 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-9 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,700 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 14,336 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 10,700 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 Wanserski 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 | #129,825 | #140,525 | -8.2% |
| Count | 131 | 122 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wanserski bearers went from 131 to 122 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 10,700 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #140,525.
FAQ
Wanserski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wanserski?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Wanserski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Wanserski?
Wanserski ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Wanserski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Wanserski.
Has Wanserski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wanserski went from 131 recorded bearers to 122. That is a decrease of 9 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Wanserski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wanserski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and 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 Wanserski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wanserski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%), 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 Wanserski (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 Wanserski mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word "wąs" meaning mustache. 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 Wanserski (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 are called Wanserski?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Wanserski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.