2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wilichowski
A Polish surname derived from a place name referencing a person's place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Wilichowski. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilichowski 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Wilichowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilichowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilichowski
The surname Wilichowski originates from Poland, a country in Central Europe with a rich history of varied cultural and linguistic influences. The name likely emerged during the medieval period, roughly around the 14th to 16th centuries, when surnames were becoming increasingly common in Poland. The Wilichowski surname is thought to derive from the name of a village or region where the original bearers of the name lived or owned land.
Wilichowski can be broken down into Polish linguistic components, with the root "Wilich" being possibly derived from a Slavic personal name or a toponym (place name). The suffix "-owski" is of Polish origin and is typically used to indicate a relationship to a particular place or owner. The suffix can denote aristocratic lineage or land ownership, common in the Polish nobility’s naming conventions. Similar spellings and variations of the name include Wilichow or Wilichowski with slight variations depending on regional dialects.
Historical references to the Wilichowski surname appear in various old records and manuscripts. For example, a 15th-century document in the archives of the Wielkopolska region mentions a noble family named Wilichowski, evidencing the name's long-standing presence in Polish nobility. Another early recorded mention is found in the 1532 tax records of the Podlasie region, where a Stanisław Wilichowski was listed as a landowner.
The earliest recorded example of the name is from the year 1456, where a Jan Wilichowski is cited in a land grant issued by the Polish king Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk. Jan Wilichowski was a notable figure in the Kraków region, with his family known for their contributions to local governance and military service.
In the realm of place names, Wilichowo is a small village in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, which may have connections to the surname Wilichowski. This linkage suggests that the family might have been significant landowners or influential figures in the region, leading to the adoption of the place name as a surname.
Noteworthy individuals with the surname Wilichowski include Paweł Wilichowski (1602-1674), a prominent Polish Jesuit scholar known for his theological writings. Another notable figure is Zofia Wilichowska (1738-1805), a poetess recognized for her works in the Polish Enlightenment period. In the 19th century, Józef Wilichowski (1823-1891) emerged as a key political activist during the February Insurrection against Russian rule in Poland.
The surname also appears in the annals of academic history with Tadeusz Wilichowski (1867-1948), a historian who authored several works on Polish medieval history. Lastly, Władysław Wilichowski (1893-1967) was a respected physicist known for his contributions to early 20th-century scientific research in Poland.
Overall, the surname Wilichowski has a deep-rooted history in Poland, signifying ties to nobility, land ownership, and scholarly contributions across various centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilichowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilichowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilichowski 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 Wilichowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilichowski
Wilichowski 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,590 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,852 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,590 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,852 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 Wilichowski 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 | #148,347 | #146,495 | 1.2% |
| Count | 111 | 114 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilichowski bearers went from 111 to 114 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,852 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #146,495.
FAQ
Wilichowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilichowski?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Wilichowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Wilichowski?
Wilichowski ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Wilichowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Wilichowski.
Has Wilichowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilichowski went from 111 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilichowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilichowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Wilichowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilichowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Wilichowski (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 Wilichowski mean?
A Polish surname derived from a place name referencing a person's place of origin. 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 Wilichowski (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 common is the surname Wilichowski?
You can see how many people have the surname Wilichowski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.