2000
#3,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.17
Rare Last name
Wozniak
A Polish occupational surname referring to a person who manufactured or repaired wagons or carts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,377 Americans carry the last name Wozniak. That puts it at #4,195 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,553 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wozniak 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 Wozniak with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,553
Census rank
#4,195
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,177 bearers of the surname Wozniak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4195th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wozniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wozniak
The surname Wozniak has its origins in Poland, and it is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Polish word "woznica," which means "carter" or "wagon driver." This suggests that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals who worked as carters or transporters of goods by wagon.
Wozniak is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name may have come from a specific place or region. However, records of the exact location where the name first emerged are scarce. It is possible that the name was initially used to identify individuals who hailed from a particular village or settlement associated with wagon transport or trade routes.
One of the earliest known historical references to the Wozniak surname can be found in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dating back to the 15th century. These records document legal proceedings and transactions involving individuals with the Wozniak surname, shedding light on their presence and activities in various regions of Poland.
The Wozniak name has also been recorded in the Metryka Koronna, a register of official documents from the Kingdom of Poland, which dates back to the 16th century. This provides further evidence of the surname's establishment and usage during that period.
Among the notable individuals who bore the Wozniak surname throughout history are:
1. Stanisław Woźniak (1699-1767), a Polish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
2. Józef Woźniak (1789-1845), a Polish military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent figure in the Polish independence movement.
3. Tadeusz Woźniak (1861-1928), a Polish painter and art professor known for his landscapes and portraits.
4. Władysław Woźniak (1887-1940), a Polish military officer and author who served in both World Wars and wrote extensively on military strategy and tactics.
5. Jerzy Woźniak (1924-2008), a Polish writer and journalist who was a notable figure in the Polish underground resistance during World War II.
While the Wozniak surname may have evolved slightly in spelling over time, with variations such as Wozniak, Woźniak, or Woźniak appearing in different records, its core meaning and origin as a Polish occupational name related to wagon driving and transportation have remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wozniak
Among Census respondents with the surname Wozniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wozniak 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 Wozniak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 7,676
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 238
- Two or more races2.2% · 181
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
- Black or African American0.3% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wozniak
Wozniak 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
#4,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,526
-37 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Down 354 places
2020
#4,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,177
-349 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,802 | 8,563 | 3.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,156 | 8,526 | 2.89 | -37 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 354 places |
| 2020 | #4,195 | 8,177 | 2.74 | -349 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 39 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 Wozniak 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 | #4,156 | #4,195 | -0.9% |
| Count | 8,526 | 8,177 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.89 | 2.74 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wozniak bearers went from 8,526 to 8,177 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,156 to #4,195.
FAQ
Wozniak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wozniak?
Name Census estimates that about 9,377 living Americans carry the surname Wozniak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,553 residents.
How common is Wozniak?
Wozniak ranks #4,195 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,177 people with the surname Wozniak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,377), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Wozniak.
Has Wozniak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wozniak went from 8,526 recorded bearers to 8,177. That is a decrease of 349 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,156 to #4,195.
What does the Census say about the background of Wozniak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wozniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Wozniak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (7,676 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wozniak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Wozniak (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 Wozniak mean?
A Polish occupational surname referring to a person who manufactured or repaired wagons or carts. 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 Wozniak (2.74 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 have the last name Wozniak?
If you just want to know how many people are called Wozniak, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.