2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wilebski
A Polish surname derived from the town of Wielewicze or Wielebno.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Wilebski. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilebski 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Wilebski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilebski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilebski
The surname Wilebski has its origins in Poland and is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period. The name is categorized as toponymic, meaning it is derived from a geographical location, specifically the village or town from which the original bearers of the surname hailed. Poland, with its rich tapestry of historical regions and shifting borders, has a long tradition of using toponymic surnames to signify a person's place of origin.
The name Wilebski is likely derived from the name of a locality, possibly a village named Wileb or similar. The suffix -ski is traditional in Polish surnames, denoting "from" or "of" a certain place. Similar spellings such as Wilebsky or Wilebskui were not uncommon, reflecting slight variations in dialect and record-keeping practices.
Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries include several mentions of the surname, primarily in church documents and land registries. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wilebski appears in a 1590 ecclesiastical record from the Mazovia region. This document mentions Jan Wilebski, a local landowner who was a notable figure in his community.
During the 18th century, a person of interest bearing this surname was Jakub Wilebski, born in 1723 and known for his involvement in the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794. Jakub's military service and subsequent contributions to the local governance of his village after the conflict left a lasting imprint on regional history.
Another significant bearer of the surname was Marek Wilebski, a priest born in 1801, who documented many local histories and genealogies in the region of Greater Poland. His writings provide valuable insights into the lineage of various families, including the Wilebskis, detailing their migrations and socio-economic changes over the decades.
In the 19th century, Kazimierz Wilebski emerged as an influential figure. Born in 1845, Kazimierz was a noted scholar in Warsaw, contributing extensively to the study of Slavic languages and folklore. His academic publications and public lectures significantly advanced the understanding of Polish cultural heritage.
Moving into the early 20th century, Anna Wilebska, born in 1890, gained recognition as a pioneer in Polish women's education and rights. She played a crucial role in the establishment of several educational institutions for women in Krakow, advocating for broader educational reforms until her death in 1967.
While the name Wilebski does not appear frequently in well-known historical accounts, its consistent presence in regional records and documents underscores its historical rootedness and the diverse contributions of its bearers to Polish society over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilebski
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilebski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilebski 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 Wilebski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilebski
Wilebski 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
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,035 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,035 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,441 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 Wilebski 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 | #153,590 | -7.3% |
| Count | 116 | 104 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilebski bearers went from 116 to 104 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,441 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #153,590.
FAQ
Wilebski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilebski?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Wilebski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Wilebski?
Wilebski ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Wilebski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Wilebski.
Has Wilebski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilebski went from 116 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilebski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilebski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Wilebski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilebski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Black (1.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Wilebski (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 Wilebski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the town of Wielewicze or Wielebno. 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 Wilebski (0.03 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 share the surname Wilebski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.