2000
#9,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Wesolowski
Derived from the Polish word "wesoły," meaning "merry," "jolly," or "cheerful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,554 Americans carry the last name Wesolowski. That puts it at #9,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wesolowski 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wesolowski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,442
Census rank
#9,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,099 bearers of the surname Wesolowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wesolowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wesolowski
The surname Wesolowski is of Polish origin, derived from the word "wesoły" meaning "cheerful" or "merry." This name likely originated in the Middle Ages, between the 12th and 15th centuries, in the regions that are now modern-day Poland.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records and documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, such as parish registers, tax records, and local chronicles. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Jan Wesolowski, a landowner and nobleman who lived in the town of Krakow in the late 15th century.
During the Renaissance period, the name Wesolowski became more widespread among the Polish nobility and gentry. Notable individuals from this time period include Mikołaj Wesolowski (1505-1577), a Polish diplomat and writer who served as the ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire, and Andrzej Wesolowski (1545-1623), a Catholic bishop and scholar.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Wesolowski surname continued to gain prominence in Poland. Stanisław Wesolowski (1622-1701) was a Polish military leader and nobleman who played a significant role in the Polish-Ottoman Wars, while Franciszek Wesolowski (1732-1805) was a renowned Polish poet and playwright.
As the name spread across Poland, it also began to appear in other regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in areas with significant Polish populations. One notable example is Józef Wesolowski (1799-1875), a Polish-Lithuanian playwright and dramatist who was born in Vilnius, which was part of the Russian Empire at the time.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Wesolowski surname continued to be found among notable Poles and Polish-Americans. Antoni Wesolowski (1846-1919) was a Polish architect and engineer who designed several iconic buildings in Warsaw, while Józef Wesolowski (1892-1975) was a Polish-American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
The name Wesolowski is still commonly found in Poland and among Polish communities around the world, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance rooted in the country's past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wesolowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Wesolowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Wesolowski 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 Wesolowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,896
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 103
- Two or more races2.1% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 22
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wesolowski
Wesolowski 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
#10,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,204
-47 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 833 places
2020
#9,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,099
-105 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,226 | 3,251 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,059 | 3,204 | 1.09 | -47 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 833 places |
| 2020 | #9,946 | 3,099 | 1.04 | -105 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 113 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 Wesolowski 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 | #10,059 | #9,946 | 1.1% |
| Count | 3,204 | 3,099 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.04 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wesolowski bearers went from 3,204 to 3,099 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 113 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,059 to #9,946.
FAQ
Wesolowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wesolowski?
Name Census estimates that about 3,554 living Americans carry the surname Wesolowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,442 residents.
How common is Wesolowski?
Wesolowski ranks #9,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,099 people with the surname Wesolowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,554), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wesolowski.
Has Wesolowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wesolowski went from 3,204 recorded bearers to 3,099. That is a decrease of 105 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,059 to #9,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Wesolowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wesolowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Wesolowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wesolowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Wesolowski (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 Wesolowski mean?
Derived from the Polish word "wesoły," meaning "merry," "jolly," or "cheerful." 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 Wesolowski (1.04 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 common is the surname Wesolowski?
Find out how many people are called Wesolowski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.