2000
#2,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,760
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.73
Uncommon Last name
Wisniewski
A Polish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "cherry tree" or "cherry orchard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,615 Americans carry the last name Wisniewski. That puts it at #2,964 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wisniewski 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 Wisniewski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,175
Census rank
#2,964
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,873 bearers of the surname Wisniewski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2964th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wisniewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wisniewski
The surname Wisniewski originated in Poland and has been around since the 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "wisnia," meaning cherry, suggesting that the name's bearers may have been involved in growing or trading cherries. The name can be traced back to the region of Greater Poland, particularly the areas around the cities of Poznan and Gniezno.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wisniewski can be found in the Ksiega Ławnicza Miasta Poznania, a legal record book from the city of Poznan, dating back to the late 15th century. The entry mentions a certain Jan Wisniewski, who was involved in a legal dispute over a property matter.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various church records and tax registers throughout Greater Poland. For example, the parish records of the town of Koscian from 1564 list a Bartosz Wisniewski among the local residents.
The name Wisniewski has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Stanisław Wisniewski (1677-1749), a Polish Catholic priest and writer who authored several religious texts and served as a canon in the Diocese of Poznan.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Aleksander Wisniewski (1808-1895), a Polish mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the fields of differential equations and celestial mechanics. He held a professorship at the University of Warsaw and was a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In the 19th century, the name Wisniewski can be found in various records related to the Polish uprisings against Russian and Prussian rule. One such individual was Walenty Wisniewski (1837-1865), a Polish patriot and participant in the January Uprising of 1863-1864 against the Russian Empire.
Other notable individuals with the surname Wisniewski include Michał Wisniewski (1858-1892), a Polish writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the Poznań literary scene of the late 19th century, and Bronisław Wisniewski (1876-1943), a Polish engineer and inventor who held several patents for various technological innovations.
While the surname Wisniewski is most commonly associated with Poland, it has also been found in other Slavic countries, particularly in areas with historical Polish settlements or connections, such as parts of modern-day Belarus, Lithuania, and Ukraine.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wisniewski
Among Census respondents with the surname Wisniewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Wisniewski 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 Wisniewski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 11,138
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 323
- Two or more races2.3% · 279
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 79
- Black or African American0.4% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wisniewski
Wisniewski 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
#2,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,675
-85 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 4.30
Rank movement Down 244 places
2020
#2,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,873
-802 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.97
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,602 | 12,760 | 4.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,846 | 12,675 | 4.30 | -85 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 244 places |
| 2020 | #2,964 | 11,873 | 3.97 | -802 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 118 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 Wisniewski 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 | #2,846 | #2,964 | -4.1% |
| Count | 12,675 | 11,873 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.30 | 3.97 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wisniewski bearers went from 12,675 to 11,873 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,846 to #2,964.
FAQ
Wisniewski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wisniewski?
Name Census estimates that about 13,615 living Americans carry the surname Wisniewski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,175 residents.
How common is Wisniewski?
Wisniewski ranks #2,964 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,873 people with the surname Wisniewski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,615), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Wisniewski.
Has Wisniewski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wisniewski went from 12,675 recorded bearers to 11,873. That is a decrease of 802 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,846 to #2,964.
What does the Census say about the background of Wisniewski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wisniewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wisniewski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (11,138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wisniewski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Wisniewski (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 Wisniewski mean?
A Polish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "cherry tree" or "cherry orchard." 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 Wisniewski (3.97 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 Wisniewski?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Wisniewski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.