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

Wolski, 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 Wolski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wolski in America

Wolski is the 15033rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wolski surname appeared 1,965 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wolski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wolski 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.

The history of the last name Wolski

The surname Wolski originates from Poland, where it emerged as an occupational name during the medieval period. Derived from the Polish word "wół," meaning "ox" or "bull," the name initially referred to individuals who worked as oxherders or cattle breeders.

The earliest recorded instances of the Wolski surname can be traced back to the 14th century, appearing in various historical documents and records from regions such as Greater Poland and Lesser Poland. These early mentions often referred to individuals living in rural areas or villages where cattle husbandry was a prominent occupation.

As the name spread across Poland, it underwent slight variations in spelling, with forms like Wolsky, Wolski, and Wólski appearing in different regions. These variations were largely influenced by local dialects and orthographic conventions of the time.

One notable historical figure bearing the Wolski surname was Tomasz Wolski (1605-1677), a Polish nobleman and military commander who served as the Grand Crown Hetman of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Swedish Deluge. He played a crucial role in defending Polish territories against the Swedish invasion.

Another prominent individual was Józef Wolski (1778-1847), a Polish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Warsaw, including the iconic Staszic Palace, which now houses the Polish Academy of Sciences.

In the 18th century, the Wolski surname gained prominence through the work of Kazimierz Wolski (1760-1812), a Polish writer and poet who contributed significantly to the development of the Polish Enlightenment literature.

Franciszek Wolski (1892-1976) was a Polish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland from 1947 to 1949, playing a crucial role in shaping Poland's foreign policy during the early years of the communist regime.

The name Wolski has also been associated with various place names throughout Poland, such as the village of Wolskie in the Masovian Voivodeship, which likely derived its name from the presence of oxherders or cattle breeders in the area.

While the surname Wolski continues to be prevalent in modern-day Poland, its roots can be traced back centuries, reflecting the rich history and cultural traditions of the country's rural and agricultural communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wolski

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

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 Wolski was:

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 Wolski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Wolski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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