2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wasiewicz
An ethnic surname derived from the Polish place name Wasiów or Wasiewo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Wasiewicz. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wasiewicz 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Wasiewicz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasiewicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wasiewicz
The surname Wasiewicz is of Polish origin, derived from the personal name Wasi or Wasyl, which is a diminutive form of the Slavic name Vasili or Vasily. This name traces its roots back to the Byzantine Empire and the Greek name Basileios, meaning "kingly" or "royal."
The earliest recorded instances of the Wasiewicz surname can be found in historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of modern-day Poland and Belarus. It was particularly prevalent in the areas around the cities of Warsaw, Krakow, and Vilnius.
One notable historical figure bearing the Wasiewicz surname was Jan Wasiewicz (1550-1612), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish War of 1600-1611. He is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles and records for his role in the defense of the city of Smolensk against Swedish forces.
Another individual of note was Katarzyna Wasiewicz (1680-1754), a Polish nun and educator who founded several schools and orphanages in the city of Lviv, which was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time. Her efforts in promoting education and caring for orphaned children are documented in various church records and historical accounts.
In the 19th century, Stanisław Wasiewicz (1810-1878) was a prominent Polish artist and painter known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Poland. Many of his works are housed in museums and galleries across Poland and Europe.
Turning to the 20th century, Janusz Wasiewicz (1919-1994) was a Polish writer and journalist who gained recognition for his novels and short stories exploring themes of identity, memory, and the human condition. He was a member of the prestigious Polish Writers' Union and received several literary awards during his lifetime.
Finally, one cannot discuss the Wasiewicz surname without mentioning Aleksandra Wasiewicz (1962-present), a Polish actress and theater director who has appeared in numerous films, television shows, and stage productions both in Poland and internationally. She is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and versatile actresses of her generation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wasiewicz
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasiewicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wasiewicz 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 Wasiewicz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wasiewicz
Wasiewicz 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+11 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,759 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,759 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,346 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 Wasiewicz 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 | #143,149 | #146,495 | -2.3% |
| Count | 116 | 114 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wasiewicz bearers went from 116 to 114 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #146,495.
FAQ
Wasiewicz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wasiewicz?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Wasiewicz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Wasiewicz?
Wasiewicz ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Wasiewicz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Wasiewicz.
Has Wasiewicz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wasiewicz went from 116 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Wasiewicz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasiewicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Wasiewicz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wasiewicz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (4.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Wasiewicz (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 Wasiewicz mean?
An ethnic surname derived from the Polish place name Wasiów or Wasiewo. 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 Wasiewicz (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 have the surname Wasiewicz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.