2000
#6,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,920
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Wysocki
Derived from the Polish word "wysoki," meaning "tall," referring to a person of tall stature or living on high ground.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,954 Americans carry the last name Wysocki. That puts it at #7,440 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wysocki 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 Wysocki with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,187
Census rank
#7,440
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,320 bearers of the surname Wysocki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7440th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wysocki, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wysocki
The surname "WYSOCKI" has its origins in Poland, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages. It is a topographic name, derived from the Polish word "wysoki," meaning "high" or "tall," potentially referring to someone who lived in an elevated area or had a tall stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Polish town of Wysoka, located in the Silesian region. This place name, which means "high place," likely influenced the formation of the surname WYSOCKI, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their place of origin or residence.
In the 14th century, a nobleman named Jan Wysocki was documented as owning land in the village of Miedzyrzecze, in what is now western Poland. This historical record provides evidence of the surname's existence and its association with the landed gentry during that time period.
The name WYSOCKI gained further prominence in the 16th century, when a Polish military commander named Piotr Wysocki (1497-1557) distinguished himself in battles against the Teutonic Knights and the Crimean Khanate. His bravery and leadership earned him recognition and likely contributed to the spread of the surname among his descendants.
Another notable figure with the surname WYSOCKI was Józef Wysocki (1809-1837), a Polish military officer and revolutionary who participated in the November Uprising against the Russian Empire. Despite his untimely death at the age of 28, Wysocki became a symbol of Polish resistance and patriotism.
In the 19th century, the renowned Polish poet and playwright Kazimierz Wysocki (1813-1871) gained acclaim for his works, which often explored themes of national identity and the struggle for independence. His contributions to Polish literature have cemented his legacy and the significance of the WYSOCKI surname in the cultural sphere.
Over the centuries, variations of the surname have emerged, such as Wysocky, Wysoczki, and Wysockyj, reflecting regional differences in spelling and pronunciation. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remain rooted in the concept of height or elevation, a distinctive characteristic that has endured throughout its rich historical journey.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wysocki
Among Census respondents with the surname Wysocki, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wysocki 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 Wysocki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 4,076
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 103
- Two or more races1.9% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wysocki
Wysocki 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
#7,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,758
-162 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 664 places
2020
#7,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,320
-438 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,371 | 4,920 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,035 | 4,758 | 1.61 | -162 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 664 places |
| 2020 | #7,440 | 4,320 | 1.45 | -438 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 405 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 Wysocki 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 | #7,035 | #7,440 | -5.8% |
| Count | 4,758 | 4,320 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.45 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wysocki bearers went from 4,758 to 4,320 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 405 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,035 to #7,440.
FAQ
Wysocki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wysocki?
Name Census estimates that about 4,954 living Americans carry the surname Wysocki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,187 residents.
How common is Wysocki?
Wysocki ranks #7,440 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,320 people with the surname Wysocki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,954), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Wysocki.
Has Wysocki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wysocki went from 4,758 recorded bearers to 4,320. That is a decrease of 438 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,035 to #7,440.
What does the Census say about the background of Wysocki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wysocki, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) 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 Wysocki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (4,076 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wysocki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (2.4%), 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 Wysocki (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 Wysocki mean?
Derived from the Polish word "wysoki," meaning "tall," referring to a person of tall stature or living on high ground. 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 Wysocki (1.45 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 Wysocki?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Wysocki at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.