Wolanski last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Wolanski is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wolanski.

Meaning of Wolanski

A Polish toponymic surname referring to someone from a place called Wolany or Wolin.

Wolanski, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Wolanski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wolanski in America

Wolanski is the 42094th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wolanski surname appeared 516 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wolanski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wolanski to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 42094 41262 2.00%
Count 516 498 3.55%
Proportion per 100k 0.17 0.18 -5.71%

The history of the last name Wolanski

The surname Wolanski has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in Poland. The name likely came into use during the medieval period, which began around the 10th century. It is derived from the Polish word "woł" meaning "ox" combined with the suffix "-ański," indicating a relationship to a place or a characteristic related to oxen. This suggests that the name could have originally been an occupational or locative surname, possibly referring to someone who worked with oxen or resided near fields where oxen were used.

The earliest recorded examples of this surname can be traced back to historical documents from the late Middle Ages. One of the earliest mentions appears in a 15th-century Polish registry which catalogued landowners and noble families. The suffix "-ski" in Wolanski indicates noble or gentry status in Poland, as it was commonly attached to family names of those belonging to the szlachta, the historical Polish nobility.

A notable bearer of the surname Wolanski is Stanisław Wolanski, an 18th-century Polish nobleman recorded in various historical documents concerning the political landscape of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was an active figure in local governance and contributed to several land reforms in the region of Lesser Poland, where the name was particularly prevalent.

Another significant individual was Józef Wolanski, born in 1799, who was a Polish writer and poet. He was known for his literary contributions during the Romantic era in Poland and actively participated in the November Uprising of 1830 against Russian rule. His works often highlighted nationalistic themes and were instrumental in the cultural resurgence of Polish identity.

In the 19th century, Adam Wolanski, a noted agronomist, made significant advances in agricultural techniques. Born in 1827, he published several influential works on crop rotation and soil fertility, which played a pivotal role in modernizing Polish agriculture during that period.

A more contemporary reference is Anna Wolanski, a distinguished biochemist born in 1925 who made significant contributions to the field of enzymology. Her research was crucial in understanding metabolic pathways and she was awarded several prestigious scientific awards throughout her career.

Finally, Jan Wolanski, born in 1916, was a renowned painter and sculptor whose works are highly regarded in Polish art history. He gained prominence post-World War II and is celebrated for his unique blend of traditional Polish themes with modern artistic expressions.

The surname Wolanski has deep-rooted connections to Polish heritage and has been borne by several noteworthy individuals who have contributed significantly to various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wolanski

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wolanski.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wolanski was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 98.45% 508
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 1.16% 6

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wolanski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 98.45% 98.39% 0.06%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.16% 1.00% 14.81%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Wolanski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wolanski, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Wolanski last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 20, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/wolanski-surname-popularity/.

"Wolanski last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/wolanski-surname-popularity/. Accessed 20 May, 2025

Wolanski last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/wolanski-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.