2000
#13,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,008
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Wolski
Derived from a place name meaning "of Wola," referring to any of various villages in Poland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,025 Americans carry the last name Wolski. That puts it at #15,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,261 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wolski 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wolski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 169,261
Census rank
#15,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,766 bearers of the surname Wolski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The earliest recorded instances of the Wolski surname can be traced back to the 14th century, appearing in various historical documents and records from regions such as Greater Poland and Lesser Poland.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wolski
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wolski 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 Wolski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,631
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 60
- Two or more races2.7% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wolski
Wolski 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
#15,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,965
-43 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,213 places
2020
#15,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,766
-199 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 846 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,820 | 2,008 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,033 | 1,965 | 0.67 | -43 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 1,213 places |
| 2020 | #15,879 | 1,766 | 0.59 | -199 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 846 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 Wolski 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 | #15,033 | #15,879 | -5.6% |
| Count | 1,965 | 1,766 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.59 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wolski bearers went from 1,965 to 1,766 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 846 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,033 to #15,879.
FAQ
Wolski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wolski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,025 living Americans carry the surname Wolski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,261 residents.
How common is Wolski?
Wolski ranks #15,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,766 people with the surname Wolski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,025), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wolski.
Has Wolski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wolski went from 1,965 recorded bearers to 1,766. That is a decrease of 199 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,033 to #15,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Wolski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Wolski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,631 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wolski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Wolski (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 Wolski mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "of Wola," referring to any of various villages in Poland. 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 Wolski (0.59 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 Wolski?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Wolski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.