2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zastawny
An occupational surname derived from the Polish word "zastaw" meaning pledge or collateral.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Zastawny. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zastawny 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.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Zastawny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zastawny, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zastawny
The surname Zastawny has its origins in Poland, with the roots of the name likely tracing back to the medieval period. This surname is intricately linked with regions such as Lesser Poland (Małopolska) and areas now forming the modern-day Subcarpathian Voivodeship. The name comes from the Polish word "zastawa", which historically referred to a pledge or security, in economic and legal terms. This indicates that early bearers of the name may have been involved in professions related to lending, borrowing, or as custodians of pledged property.
One of the oldest references to this surname can be found in 15th-century Polish records. Manuscripts from that period detail the lives and transactions of individuals with the surname Zastawny, highlighting their involvement in local governance and community matters. For instance, records from Kraków in the 1480s mention Jan Zastawny, who was a notable merchant, indicating the name's association with trade and commerce.
In the 16th century, a man named Stanisław Zastawny is recorded in municipal documents of Tarnów, further establishing the prominence of the name in that region. The frequency of the name in official documents of the time suggests a family with considerable social standing and involvement in local affairs, possibly related to municipal bureaucracy or the judiciary.
Aleksander Zastawny, born in 1703, is another historically significant figure bearing the surname. He was a known landowner in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, indicating by that time the family may have ascended to nobility or substantial social rank. His estate records, preserved in regional archives, shed light on the lifestyle and responsibilities of the Zastawny family during that era.
In the 19th century, Józef Zastawny made his mark as a participant in the November Uprising (1830-1831), a testament to the family's ongoing involvement in significant national events. His commitment to the cause was recorded in various memoirs of participants and official military rosters of the uprising.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Władysław Zastawny emerged as a notable academic. Born in 1885, he contributed to linguistic studies in Poland and published several papers on the regional dialects of Lesser Poland. His career and publications are well documented in academic journals of the period, reflecting the intellectual legacy of the Zastawny family.
These historical figures illustrate the evolution of the Zastawny surname from its medieval economic roots to a name associated with landownership, military participation, and intellectual contributions, painting a rich tapestry of Polish history interwoven with the lineage of the Zastawny family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zastawny
Among Census respondents with the surname Zastawny, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zastawny 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 Zastawny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zastawny
Zastawny appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,099 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,099 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 Zastawny 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 | #148,347 | #149,446 | -0.7% |
| Count | 111 | 110 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zastawny bearers went from 111 to 110 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,099 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #149,446.
FAQ
Zastawny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zastawny?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Zastawny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Zastawny?
Zastawny ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Zastawny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Zastawny.
Has Zastawny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zastawny went from 111 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Zastawny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zastawny, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Zastawny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zastawny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (7.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Zastawny (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 Zastawny mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Polish word "zastaw" meaning pledge or collateral. 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 Zastawny (0.04 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 are called Zastawny?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Zastawny on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.