2000
#12,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,379
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Ziolkowski
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "herb" or "green place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,438 Americans carry the last name Ziolkowski. That puts it at #13,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ziolkowski 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 Ziolkowski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,588
Census rank
#13,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,126 bearers of the surname Ziolkowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ziolkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ziolkowski
The surname Ziolkowski is of Polish origin, derived from the word "ziółko" meaning "herb" or "little plant". It likely originated in the 13th or 14th century as a descriptive name for someone who grew or sold herbs.
The name first appeared in records from the region of Pomerania, which includes parts of modern-day Poland and Germany. Early variations of the spelling included Ziolkowski, Ziolkowsky, and Zölkowski.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a 1436 document from the town of Gdańsk (formerly known as Danzig), which mentions a merchant named Hans Ziolkowski. In the 16th century, a family of Ziolkowskis were landowners in the village of Główczyce, near Słupsk.
The Ziolkowski name can be traced to several notable individuals throughout history. In the 18th century, Józef Ziolkowski (1734-1805) was a Polish writer and translator. Ludwik Ziolkowski (1835-1909) was a Polish mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of calculus.
Kornel Ziolkowski (1849-1911) was a Polish painter known for his landscapes and portraits. His works are housed in various museums across Poland. Adam Ziolkowski (1928-2020) was a Polish-American sculptor best known for his monumental sculpture of Crazy Horse in the Black Hills of South Dakota, which he began carving in 1948 and worked on until his death.
Another notable figure was Kazimierz Ziolkowski (1913-1976), a Polish engineer and inventor who developed the first successful mine detector during World War II, saving countless lives. His invention was later adopted by militaries around the world.
Overall, the surname Ziolkowski has a rich history rooted in Polish culture and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from art and literature to science and engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ziolkowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Ziolkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ziolkowski 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 Ziolkowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 1,990
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 75
- Two or more races1.9% · 40
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ziolkowski
Ziolkowski 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
#13,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,281
-98 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 1,317 places
2020
#13,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,126
-155 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 288 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,043 | 2,379 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,360 | 2,281 | 0.77 | -98 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 1,317 places |
| 2020 | #13,648 | 2,126 | 0.71 | -155 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 288 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 Ziolkowski 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 | #13,360 | #13,648 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,281 | 2,126 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.71 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ziolkowski bearers went from 2,281 to 2,126 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 288 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,360 to #13,648.
FAQ
Ziolkowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ziolkowski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,438 living Americans carry the surname Ziolkowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,588 residents.
How common is Ziolkowski?
Ziolkowski ranks #13,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,126 people with the surname Ziolkowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,438), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Ziolkowski.
Has Ziolkowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ziolkowski went from 2,281 recorded bearers to 2,126. That is a decrease of 155 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,360 to #13,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Ziolkowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ziolkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) 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 Ziolkowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (1,990 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ziolkowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), 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 Ziolkowski (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 Ziolkowski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "herb" or "green place." 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 Ziolkowski (0.71 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 Americans have the surname Ziolkowski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.