2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wolowitz
A surname of Slavic origin, possibly referring to one's place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Wolowitz. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wolowitz 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Wolowitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wolowitz
The surname Wolowitz has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically among the Jewish communities of Poland and Russia. The name is derived from the Polish name "Wolowice" or the Russian name "Volovitz," both of which refer to a place name meaning "field of oxen" derived from the Slavic root "vol," meaning "ox." This suggests that the early bearers of the surname likely lived in regions that were characterized by cattle raising or were somehow involved in the livestock industry.
The surname Wolowitz first appeared in historical records in the late 17th to early 18th century. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in a Jewish population census conducted in Poland during the early 1700s. Families bearing the surname were noted in areas such as Warsaw and Krakow, which were significant centers of Jewish life and culture at the time. Variants of the surname, such as Wolowicz and Volovitz, were also recorded in official documents and community records.
One notable historical figure with the surname Wolowitz is Rabbi Avraham Wolowitz, born in 1770 and died in 1845. He was a well-respected rabbi in the town of Kołomyja, which is now in modern-day Ukraine. His scholarly work and contributions to Jewish thought were widely recognized, and his descendants continued to play prominent roles in the Jewish community of Eastern Europe.
In the 19th century, the Wolowitz surname appeared in a number of immigration records as families migrated to the United States to escape political unrest and seek better economic opportunities. One of the more prominent immigrants was Isaac Wolowitz, born in 1824, who settled in New York City in 1850 and became a successful merchant. His business acumen and involvement in the Jewish community contributed significantly to the establishment of various charitable organizations.
A later figure of historical interest is Miriam Wolowitz, born in 1889 and died in 1954. She was an early advocate for women's rights within the Jewish community and was instrumental in founding several educational institutions for Jewish girls in Poland. Her efforts were pivotal in providing access to education for women and enhancing their roles within Jewish society.
One more individual bearing the surname was Solomon Wolowitz, born in 1900 and died in 1975. He was a prominent lawyer and social activist in pre-World War II Europe. Solomon's work in defending Jewish rights and assisting in efforts to combat anti-Semitism made him a notable figure in Jewish history. His writings and public speeches were influential during a turbulent period in European history.
The surname Wolowitz, seen through its historical usage and the significant individuals who carried it, reflects a rich cultural and social heritage tied to the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. It signifies a lineage both anchored in specific regional origins and emblematic of broader historical movements and social contributions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wolowitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wolowitz 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 Wolowitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 10
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wolowitz
Wolowitz 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+16 bearers (+15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,104 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-13 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,849 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.7%) | Up 7,104 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 11,849 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 Wolowitz 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 | #141,140 | #152,989 | -8.4% |
| Count | 118 | 105 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wolowitz bearers went from 118 to 105 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 11,849 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #152,989.
FAQ
Wolowitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wolowitz?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Wolowitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Wolowitz?
Wolowitz ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Wolowitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Wolowitz.
Has Wolowitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wolowitz went from 118 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Wolowitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Wolowitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wolowitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (9.5%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Wolowitz (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 Wolowitz mean?
A surname of Slavic origin, possibly referring to one's place of origin. 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 Wolowitz (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 are called Wolowitz?
Want to know how common the surname Wolowitz is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.