2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wojcieszak
Polish surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name Wojciech.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Wojcieszak. 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 Wojcieszak 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 Wojcieszak 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 Wojcieszak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wojcieszak
The surname Wojcieszak has its origins in Poland, a country with a rich tapestry of linguistic and cultural history. This name likely emerged in the early medieval period, when Slavic tribes began adopting surnames for purposes of identification and to signify familial ties.
The root of the surname Wojcieszak can be traced to the Polish given name Wojciech, which itself is derived from the Old Slavic elements "woj," meaning war or warrior, and "ciech," meaning joy or glad. Wojciech, therefore, roughly translates to "joyful warrior" or "one who finds joy in war." The suffix -ak is a diminutive or patronymic addition common in Polish surnames, indicating a familial connection to someone named Wojciech.
Historical references to variations of this surname appear in manuscripts and records from medieval Poland. One of the earliest recorded instances may be found in 1427 in land transaction documents, where a man named Piotr Wojcieszak is noted as a landowner in the Poznań Voivodeship. This region in Greater Poland was a heartland for the formation of Polish culture and governance during medieval times.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Wojcieszak name appears in various legal and ecclesiastical documents. For example, in 1585, Jan Wojcieszak is recorded as a witness in a court case in Kraków, showcasing the name's presence in what was then the capital of Poland. Another significant reference is from 1623, where a Marcin Wojcieszak is noted for making a charitable donation to a local church in Wrocław, demonstrating the family’s involvement in community and religious affairs.
One of the most notable figures bearing this surname is Tomasz Wojcieszak, an 18th-century soldier who fought in the Confederation of Bar (1768-1772), an association of Polish nobles formed to defend the independence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against Russian influence. Tomasz Wojcieszak's military exploits were well-documented in the chronicles of the time, capturing his bravery and dedication to his homeland.
In the 19th century, as Poland faced partitions and was divided by neighboring powers, many Poles, including individuals with the surname Wojcieszak, emigrated to other European countries and even to the Americas. Antoni Wojcieszak, born in 1820, is a documented Polish immigrant who settled in Chicago, USA, in the mid-19th century, contributing to the burgeoning Polish-American community there.
The name Wojcieszak can also be connected to various place names and geographical markers in Poland, particularly in regions that were strongholds of Polish culture and tradition, such as Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, and Silesia. For example, the village of Wojcieszów in Lower Silesia, while not etymologically identical, signifies the geographical spread of similar sounding names born out of the same cultural and linguistic milieu.
Overall, the surname Wojcieszak offers a fascinating glimpse into the martial and joyous heritage encapsulated by its etymology, with documented presences in significant historical periods and contributions by notable individuals that reflect the dynamic history of Poland and its diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wojcieszak
Among Census respondents with the surname Wojcieszak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wojcieszak 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 Wojcieszak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 103
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wojcieszak
Wojcieszak 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,088 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+9 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 12,088 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 8,412 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 Wojcieszak 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 | #154,907 | #146,495 | 5.4% |
| Count | 105 | 114 | 8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wojcieszak bearers went from 105 to 114 (+8.6% change). The surname moved up 8,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #146,495.
FAQ
Wojcieszak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wojcieszak?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Wojcieszak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Wojcieszak?
Wojcieszak 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 Wojcieszak. 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 Wojcieszak.
Has Wojcieszak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wojcieszak went from 105 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 9 (+8.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Wojcieszak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wojcieszak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Wojcieszak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wojcieszak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Wojcieszak (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 Wojcieszak mean?
Polish surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name Wojciech. 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 Wojcieszak (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 share the surname Wojcieszak?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.