2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wittkowski
A German surname derived from a place name referring to a forest clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Wittkowski. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wittkowski 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Wittkowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wittkowski
The surname Wittkowski has its origins in Poland, with the name likely emerging during the medieval period, around the 13th to 15th centuries. Polish surnames often reflect geographical locations or occupations, and Wittkowski is no exception. The suffix -owski is a common indicator of toponymic surnames in Poland, denoting a connection to a specific place, in this case, a village or town.
The root of the name, Wittk-, potentially derives from a personal name or a word. One possibility is that it is connected to the name Witek, which in turn derives from the Slavic name Wit, meaning "life" or "a ruler". The combination of Wittk and the suffix -owski implies a name meaning "one from the place of Wittk" or "descendant of Wittk".
Wittkowski likely originated from areas in Poland with the name containing "Witek" or similar, such as Wiśniewo or Witkowo. The earliest recorded instance of a similar name in historical documents is difficult to pinpoint precisely, but records indicate usage of the -owski suffix in the late medieval period.
One of the first notable mentions of the name in historical documents was around the early 18th century. Records from 1732 cite Jan Wittkowski, a landowner in the Masovian Voivodeship, a historical region in east-central Poland. His land deeds are some of the earliest surviving mentions.
Another notable historical figure is Stanisław Wittkowski, born in 1784, who served as a local official in the region of Greater Poland during the Napoleonic Wars. He was a respected member of his community and his role included various administrative duties.
Later, in the 19th century, Kazimierz Wittkowski (1809-1883), a prominent educator and scholar in Warsaw, became well-known for his contributions to Polish literary studies and his work on preserving Polish folklore.
The name Wittkowski continued to be seen in various parts of Poland. For instance, Adam Wittkowski, born in 1842, was an influential figure in promoting agricultural advancements in the Pomeranian region. His efforts significantly improved farming techniques and local economies.
In the early 20th century, Józef Wittkowski (1878-1945) gained recognition as a politician and social activist. He played a significant role in the movement for Polish independence and later contributed to the formation of the Second Polish Republic.
Throughout history, the name Wittkowski has appeared in various records and documents, illustrating the wide geographical and professional spread of the family. The name is an enduring testament to Polish heritage, encapsulating elements of geography, occupation, and societal roles through its evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wittkowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wittkowski 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 Wittkowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 120
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wittkowski
Wittkowski 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-4 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,529 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-15 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,291 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -4 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 10,529 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 15,291 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 Wittkowski 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 | #126,018 | #141,309 | -12.1% |
| Count | 136 | 121 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wittkowski bearers went from 136 to 121 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 15,291 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #141,309.
FAQ
Wittkowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wittkowski?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Wittkowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Wittkowski?
Wittkowski ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Wittkowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Wittkowski.
Has Wittkowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wittkowski went from 136 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Wittkowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wittkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%). 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 Wittkowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wittkowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Black (0.8%). 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 Wittkowski (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 Wittkowski mean?
A German surname derived from a place name referring to a forest clearing. 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 Wittkowski (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 surname Wittkowski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.