2000
#28,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 776
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Very Rare Last name
Wojnar
A Polish surname derived from the word "wojak" meaning soldier or warrior.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 884 Americans carry the last name Wojnar. That puts it at #32,060 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 387,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wojnar 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
884
1 in 387,731
Census rank
#32,060
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
771
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 771 bearers of the surname Wojnar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32060th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wojnar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wojnar
The surname Wojnar is of Eastern European origin, primarily found in Poland and Ukraine. The name can be traced back to the medieval period, with earliest records dating to the 14th and 15th centuries. Wojnar, derived from the Old Slavic word "vojnar," translates to "warrior" or "soldier." The name indicates a connection to persons of martial background or occupation.
The areas of origin for this surname are primarily within the regions that were part of the historic Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including parts of modern-day Poland and Ukraine. The word "woj" in Old Polish denotes "war," which is central to the etymology of Wojnar. Historical records indicate that variations of the name, such as Woynar and Vojnar, were also prevalent in these regions.
One of the earliest historical references to the surname Wojnar appears in the 15th-century Prussian chronicles, which list a certain Mikolaj Wojnar as a landholder and soldier. Mikolaj Wojnar lived between 1450 and 1520, serving notably in local conflicts during that period. The proliferation of surnames related to martial connotations was common among the nobility and those serving in military capacities.
Another significant figure bearing the name Wojnar was Jan Wojnar, born in 1572 and active until 1640. Jan Wojnar was a notable landowner in the Masovian Voivodeship, contributing to the political and social life of the region. His political engagements were often documented in the sejm records, the legislative assemblies of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Wojnar appeared in various legal documents and parish records, indicating the family's involvement in agricultural and regional administration. In 1698, a Stanislaw Wojnar is recorded as having been a judge in the town of Lviv, which was then part of Poland but is now in Ukraine. His role in the judiciary is well-documented, showing a transition from martial to civic occupations among bearers of the name.
In the 19th century, the historian and ethnographer Adam Wojnar (1834-1899) emerged as a significant figure. He contributed extensively to the preservation of Polish folklore and peasant traditions, documenting customs and societal structures in rural Poland. His works remain important references in the study of Polish cultural history.
The surname Wojnar also appears in literary references, as in the case of Kazimierz Wojnar (1881-1941), a Polish poet and writer known for his patriotic themes. His work during the interwar period garnered him both national recognition and posthumous acclaim.
Overall, the surname Wojnar has deeply rooted historical and cultural significance, primarily in Poland and Ukraine. Its association with warriors and soldiers reflects a storied past tied to the martial and noble traditions of Eastern Europe. Notable individuals throughout history have borne the name, contributing to its legacy in various fields such as politics, judiciary, historiography, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wojnar
Among Census respondents with the surname Wojnar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wojnar 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 Wojnar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 737
- Two or more races2.5% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wojnar
Wojnar 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
#28,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 840
+64 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 448 places
2020
#32,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 771
-69 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 3,652 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,856 | 776 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,408 | 840 | 0.28 | +64 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 448 places |
| 2020 | #32,060 | 771 | 0.26 | -69 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 3,652 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 Wojnar 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 | #28,408 | #32,060 | -12.9% |
| Count | 840 | 771 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.26 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wojnar bearers went from 840 to 771 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 3,652 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,408 to #32,060.
FAQ
Wojnar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wojnar?
Name Census estimates that about 884 living Americans carry the surname Wojnar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 387,731 residents.
How common is Wojnar?
Wojnar ranks #32,060 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 771 people with the surname Wojnar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (884), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Wojnar.
Has Wojnar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wojnar went from 840 recorded bearers to 771. That is a decrease of 69 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,408 to #32,060.
What does the Census say about the background of Wojnar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wojnar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (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 Wojnar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wojnar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (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 Wojnar (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 Wojnar mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "wojak" meaning soldier or warrior. 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 Wojnar (0.26 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 Wojnar?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Wojnar on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.