2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wawrzaszek
A Polish surname derived from the personal name Wawrzyniec, meaning "laurel crown bearer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Wawrzaszek. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wawrzaszek 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Wawrzaszek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wawrzaszek, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wawrzaszek
The surname WAWRZASZEK originated in Poland and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "wawrzyn," which means "laurel wreath," suggesting a connection to a person or family associated with laurel wreaths or garlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WAWRZASZEK can be found in the parish records of the village of Grabowiec, located in the Lublin region of eastern Poland, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a family with the surname WAWRZASZEK residing in the area.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical documents from the neighboring regions of Mazovia and Lesser Poland. One notable example is the mention of a landowner named Jan WAWRZASZEK in the land registry of the town of Kazimierz Dolny, dated 1642.
The name WAWRZASZEK has also been linked to several notable individuals throughout history. In the 18th century, a Polish nobleman named Kazimierz WAWRZASZEK (1702-1778) was a prominent figure in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, serving as a member of the Sejm (parliament) and a staunch supporter of King Stanisław August Poniatowski.
Another individual of note was Franciszek WAWRZASZEK (1811-1892), a renowned Polish painter and artist who specialized in landscape and genre paintings. His works were widely celebrated and can be found in several art galleries and museums across Poland.
In the late 19th century, a Polish-American entrepreneur named Tadeusz WAWRZASZEK (1854-1927) made a significant impact in the United States. He founded one of the first Polish-owned businesses in Chicago, which specialized in importing and distributing Polish goods and products.
The name WAWRZASZEK has also been associated with various place names in Poland, such as the village of Wawrzyszew, located in the Masovian Voivodeship, and the town of Wawrzynek in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. These place names likely share a similar linguistic root with the surname, further reinforcing its Polish origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wawrzaszek
Among Census respondents with the surname Wawrzaszek, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wawrzaszek 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 Wawrzaszek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wawrzaszek
Wawrzaszek 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,211 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-12 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,211 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 11,199 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 Wawrzaszek 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 | #141,140 | #152,339 | -7.9% |
| Count | 118 | 106 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wawrzaszek bearers went from 118 to 106 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 11,199 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #152,339.
FAQ
Wawrzaszek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wawrzaszek?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Wawrzaszek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Wawrzaszek?
Wawrzaszek ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Wawrzaszek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Wawrzaszek.
Has Wawrzaszek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wawrzaszek went from 118 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Wawrzaszek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wawrzaszek, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Wawrzaszek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wawrzaszek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Wawrzaszek (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 Wawrzaszek mean?
A Polish surname derived from the personal name Wawrzyniec, meaning "laurel crown bearer". 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 Wawrzaszek (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 Wawrzaszek?
You can see how common the surname Wawrzaszek is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.