2000
#23,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 999
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Bialek
A Polish surname derived from a color name, likely referring to a person's complexion or hair color.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,295 Americans carry the last name Bialek. That puts it at #23,232 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 264,675 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bialek 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 Bialek with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 264,675
Census rank
#23,232
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,129 bearers of the surname Bialek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23232nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bialek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bialek
The surname Bialek is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "biały," which means "white." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone with fair hair or a pale complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bialek can be found in the records of the town of Krakow, Poland, dating back to the late 1500s. It is believed that the name was initially concentrated in the southern regions of Poland, particularly around the cities of Krakow and Katowice.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals bearing the surname Bialek were mentioned in various historical documents and records. For example, Jan Bialek, a farmer from the village of Wawrzeńczyce, was listed in the tax records of 1612. Likewise, Katarzyna Bialek, a seamstress from the city of Krakow, was mentioned in a guild register from 1647.
Throughout the centuries, several variations of the spelling have emerged, including Bialek, Bialik, and Bialik. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the evolution of the Polish language over time.
One notable individual with the surname Bialek was Kornel Bialek, a Polish painter and artist who lived from 1902 to 1983. He is best known for his landscape paintings depicting the rural areas of southern Poland.
Another famous bearer of the name was Józef Bialek, a Polish politician and activist who played a significant role in the Solidarity movement in the 1980s. He was born in 1942 and worked tirelessly to promote workers' rights and democratic reforms in Poland.
In the field of literature, Halina Bialek, a Polish poet and writer born in 1930, gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, loss, and the human experience.
Historically, the surname Bialek has also been associated with certain place names in Poland. For example, the village of Bialek Duży (meaning "Big Bialek") and Bialek Mały (meaning "Little Bialek") in the Lublin region were likely named after early settlers with the Bialek surname.
Overall, the surname Bialek has a rich history rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of Poland, with various notable individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bialek
Among Census respondents with the surname Bialek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bialek 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 Bialek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,059
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 31
- Two or more races2.7% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bialek
Bialek 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
#22,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,120
+121 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Up 801 places
2020
#23,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,129
+9 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,657 | 999 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,856 | 1,120 | 0.38 | +121 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 801 places |
| 2020 | #23,232 | 1,129 | 0.38 | +9 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 376 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 Bialek 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 | #22,856 | #23,232 | -1.6% |
| Count | 1,120 | 1,129 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.38 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bialek bearers went from 1,120 to 1,129 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 376 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,856 to #23,232.
FAQ
Bialek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bialek?
Name Census estimates that about 1,295 living Americans carry the surname Bialek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 264,675 residents.
How common is Bialek?
Bialek ranks #23,232 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,129 people with the surname Bialek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Bialek.
Has Bialek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bialek went from 1,120 recorded bearers to 1,129. That is an increase of 9 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,856 to #23,232.
What does the Census say about the background of Bialek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bialek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Bialek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bialek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Bialek (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 Bialek mean?
A Polish surname derived from a color name, likely referring to a person's complexion or hair color. 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 Bialek (0.38 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 Bialek?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.