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

Zalewski, 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 Zalewski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zalewski in America

Zalewski is the 8629th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zalewski surname appeared 3,812 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 Zalewski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zalewski 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 Zalewski

The surname ZALEWSKI originated in Poland. Its roots can be traced back to the 15th century when it was derived from the Polish word "za" meaning "behind" and "las" meaning "forest" or "woods." The name was likely given to someone who lived near or behind a forest or wooded area.

The earliest recorded instance of the name ZALEWSKI dates back to 1487 in a registry of landowners in the Krakow region of Poland. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as "Zalewsky" or "Zalefski" due to variations in record-keeping and regional dialects.

In the 16th century, the name ZALEWSKI appeared in several historical documents and records of the Polish nobility. Notably, Jan ZALEWSKI (1520-1589) was a respected military commander who served under King Sigismund II Augustus and played a crucial role in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's victory over the Teutonic Knights.

The ZALEWSKI surname gained further prominence in the 17th century when Józef ZALEWSKI (1635-1701) was appointed as the Mayor of Warsaw. He was instrumental in the city's reconstruction efforts following the Swedish invasion during the Second Northern War.

Another notable figure with the ZALEWSKI surname was Franciszek ZALEWSKI (1760-1822), a Polish poet and playwright who wrote several acclaimed works during the Polish Enlightenment period. His most famous play, "The Misanthrope's Conversion," satirized the aristocracy and promoted progressive ideals.

In the 19th century, Adam ZALEWSKI (1814-1891) was a renowned Polish engineer who designed and oversaw the construction of several important railway lines, including the Warsaw-St. Petersburg route, which facilitated trade and travel between Poland and Russia.

As the Polish diaspora spread across the world, the ZALEWSKI surname became more widely dispersed, but its roots remained firmly grounded in Polish history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zalewski

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

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

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

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