2000
#7,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,886
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Zalewski
Habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Zalewo, Załów, or Zalew in Poland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,976 Americans carry the last name Zalewski. That puts it at #9,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,206 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zalewski 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 Zalewski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,206
Census rank
#9,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,467 bearers of the surname Zalewski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zalewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 16th century, the name ZALEWSKI appeared in several historical documents and records of the Polish nobility.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zalewski
Among Census respondents with the surname Zalewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Zalewski 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 Zalewski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 3,271
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 83
- Two or more races2.0% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zalewski
Zalewski 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
#8,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,812
-74 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 727 places
2020
#9,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,467
-345 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 416 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,902 | 3,886 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,629 | 3,812 | 1.29 | -74 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 727 places |
| 2020 | #9,045 | 3,467 | 1.16 | -345 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 416 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 Zalewski 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 | #8,629 | #9,045 | -4.8% |
| Count | 3,812 | 3,467 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.16 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zalewski bearers went from 3,812 to 3,467 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 416 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,629 to #9,045.
FAQ
Zalewski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zalewski?
Name Census estimates that about 3,976 living Americans carry the surname Zalewski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,206 residents.
How common is Zalewski?
Zalewski ranks #9,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,467 people with the surname Zalewski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,976), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Zalewski.
Has Zalewski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zalewski went from 3,812 recorded bearers to 3,467. That is a decrease of 345 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,629 to #9,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Zalewski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zalewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Zalewski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (3,271 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zalewski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Zalewski (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 Zalewski mean?
Habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Zalewo, Załów, or Zalew 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 Zalewski (1.16 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 surname Zalewski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.