2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Waski
A Polish surname possibly derived from the word "wąski" meaning "narrow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Waski. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Waski 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Waski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Waski, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waski
The surname Waski originates from Poland, with its roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Polish word "wąski," which means "narrow." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a narrow valley or settlement.
Waski is a locational surname, meaning it was originally associated with a specific place. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Teki Pawińskiego, a collection of historical documents from the 15th century, where a person named Jan Waski is mentioned in relation to a land dispute in the village of Wąskiej.
During the 16th century, the name appeared in various church records and tax registers in the regions of Małopolska and Mazowsze. Notably, a prominent figure named Bartłomiej Waski (1520-1592) was a renowned scholar and rector of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Andrzej Waski (1623-1699), a Polish nobleman and military leader who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars. His exploits were documented in the chronicles of the time, solidifying the Waski name in Polish history.
The 18th century saw the rise of Katarzyna Waski (1759-1825), a renowned artist and painter whose works are still preserved in various museums across Poland. Her portraits of nobility and religious figures were highly sought after during her lifetime.
Another notable individual with the surname Waski was Władysław Waski (1871-1938), a Polish writer and journalist who wrote extensively about the struggles of the working class and advocated for social reforms.
Throughout the centuries, the Waski surname has been recorded in various forms, such as Wąski, Wąska, and Wąsko, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions.
While the surname Waski is relatively uncommon today, it holds a significant place in Polish history, with its roots deeply embedded in the country's cultural and societal fabric.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waski
Among Census respondents with the surname Waski, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Waski 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 Waski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 7
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waski
Waski 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+17 bearers (+15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,535 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-16 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+15.3%) | Up 6,535 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 15,748 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 Waski 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 | #132,206 | #147,954 | -11.9% |
| Count | 128 | 112 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waski bearers went from 128 to 112 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 15,748 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #147,954.
FAQ
Waski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waski?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Waski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Waski?
Waski ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Waski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Waski.
Has Waski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waski went from 128 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Waski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waski, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Waski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Waski (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 Waski mean?
A Polish surname possibly derived from the word "wąski" meaning "narrow". 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 Waski (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 Waski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Waski at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.