2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wasz
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word "wasz" meaning "your".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Wasz. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wasz 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Wasz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wasz
The surname WASZ originates from Poland, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "wasz," which translates to "yours" or "your." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was associated with a particular property or belonged to a specific group.
One of the earliest known references to the name WASZ can be found in the 1564 tax records of the Krakow region, where a certain Jan WASZ was listed as a landowner. This provides evidence that the name was already well-established in that area by the mid-16th century.
The name WASZ also appears in several historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, including parish records and land deeds. For instance, a Tomasz WASZ was mentioned as a witness in a property transaction in the town of Lublin in 1678.
Notably, there are several place names in Poland that share a similar spelling to WASZ, such as the village of Waszkowo in the Pomeranian region. It is possible that the surname may have originated from one of these locations, though the exact connection remains unclear.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the surname WASZ throughout history are:
1. Jadwiga WASZ (1612-1685), a renowned herbalist and midwife from the village of Nowy Sacz.
2. Jakub WASZ (1745-1821), a celebrated painter and portraitist who worked in the court of King Stanisław August Poniatowski.
3. Franciszek WASZ (1783-1856), a distinguished military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served in the Polish army.
4. Maria WASZ (1867-1943), a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded several schools in Warsaw.
5. Tadeusz WASZ (1901-1978), a renowned architect and urban planner, known for his contributions to the reconstruction of Warsaw after World War II.
While the surname WASZ may not be as widely known as some others, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the 16th century and has been carried by numerous notable individuals throughout Poland's past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wasz
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wasz 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 Wasz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 107
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wasz
Wasz 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 2,174 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 Wasz 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 | #149,395 | #147,221 | 1.5% |
| Count | 110 | 113 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wasz bearers went from 110 to 113 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 2,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #147,221.
FAQ
Wasz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wasz?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Wasz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Wasz?
Wasz ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Wasz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Wasz.
Has Wasz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wasz went from 110 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Wasz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Wasz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wasz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Wasz (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 Wasz mean?
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word "wasz" meaning "your". 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 Wasz (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 last name Wasz?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Wasz, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.