2000
#3,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,024
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.09
Uncommon Last name
Zielinski
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "green" or "verdant," or referring to a village of that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,756 Americans carry the last name Zielinski. That puts it at #3,408 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,156 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zielinski 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 Zielinski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,156
Census rank
#3,408
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,252 bearers of the surname Zielinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3408th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zielinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zielinski
The surname Zielinski is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "zielony" meaning "green." It likely originated as a nickname for someone who lived near a green area or worked with plants or nature. The name first appeared in historical records in the 14th century in the region of Greater Poland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zielinski can be found in the Teki Dworzaczka, a collection of Polish historical documents from the 15th century, where it is spelled "Zyelinsky." The name is also mentioned in the Liber Beneficiorum, a register of ecclesiastical properties in the Diocese of Krakow from the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Zielinski name was associated with several noble families in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable example is Michał Zielinski (1532-1602), a Polish nobleman and diplomat who served as a courtier to King Sigismund III Vasa.
During the 17th century, the Zielinski name gained prominence in the Polish military. Jakub Zielinski (1610-1678) was a Polish general who fought in the Khmelnytsky Uprising, while Jan Zielinski (1635-1707) was a colonel in the Polish-Lithuanian army and participated in the Great Northern War.
In the 19th century, several Zielinski individuals made significant contributions to Polish culture and academia. Tadeusz Zielinski (1824-1888) was a Polish historian and writer, known for his works on ancient Greek and Roman history. Ludwik Zielinski (1837-1915) was a Polish mathematician and professor at the University of Krakow.
Another notable figure was Bogdan Zielinski (1803-1855), a Polish composer and pianist who is considered one of the pioneers of Polish national music. His works, such as the opera "Goplana," helped establish a distinct Polish musical identity.
Throughout history, the Zielinski name has also been associated with various places and localities in Poland. For example, the village of Zielińsk in the Łódź Voivodeship, and the Zielińskie Lake in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, both derive their names from the Zielinski surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zielinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Zielinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Zielinski 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 Zielinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 9,524
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 358
- Two or more races2.4% · 243
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 63
- Black or African American0.5% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zielinski
Zielinski 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
#3,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,087
+63 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 3.76
Rank movement Down 242 places
2020
#3,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,252
-835 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 3.43
Rank movement Down 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,014 | 11,024 | 4.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,256 | 11,087 | 3.76 | +63 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 242 places |
| 2020 | #3,408 | 10,252 | 3.43 | -835 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 152 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 Zielinski 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 | #3,256 | #3,408 | -4.7% |
| Count | 11,087 | 10,252 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.76 | 3.43 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zielinski bearers went from 11,087 to 10,252 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,256 to #3,408.
FAQ
Zielinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zielinski?
Name Census estimates that about 11,756 living Americans carry the surname Zielinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,156 residents.
How common is Zielinski?
Zielinski ranks #3,408 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.43 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 10,252 people with the surname Zielinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,756), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.43 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 Zielinski.
Has Zielinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zielinski went from 11,087 recorded bearers to 10,252. That is a decrease of 835 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,256 to #3,408.
What does the Census say about the background of Zielinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zielinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Zielinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (9,524 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zielinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Zielinski (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 Zielinski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "green" or "verdant," or referring to a village of that name. 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 Zielinski (3.43 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 share the surname Zielinski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.