2000
#32,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Kwasny
A surname of Polish origin meaning "sour" or "acid".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 698 Americans carry the last name Kwasny. That puts it at #39,043 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 491,052 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kwasny 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
698
1 in 491,052
Census rank
#39,043
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
609
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 609 bearers of the surname Kwasny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39043rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwasny, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kwasny
The surname Kwasny is of Polish origin, originating in the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word 'kwasny', which means 'sour' or 'tart'. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for someone with a sour or tart disposition or perhaps a maker of sour or tart foods.
The earliest known record of the surname Kwasny dates back to 1564 in the town of Krakow, Poland, where a Jakub Kwasny is mentioned in a church register. Similar spellings from that time include Kwasni and Quasny.
In the 17th century, the name appears in records from the village of Kwasniow, located in the Opole region of southwestern Poland. This place name is likely derived from the surname Kwasny, indicating that the name may have been established in that area.
One notable historical figure with the surname Kwasny was Jan Kwasny (1756-1828), a Polish painter and engraver known for his religious artwork and portraits of Polish nobility. His works can be found in various churches and museums across Poland.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Stanisław Kwasny (1901-1985), a Polish politician and diplomat who served as the Ambassador of Poland to the United States from 1946 to 1950.
In the 19th century, the surname Kwasny is recorded in the Silesian region of Poland, which was then part of Prussia. One example is Franciszek Kwasny (1832-1892), a Polish-Silesian writer and teacher who published several works in the Polish language.
Andrzej Kwasny (1920-2005) was a Polish-American mathematician and professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, known for his contributions to functional analysis and operator theory.
Another individual of note is Krzysztof Kwasny (born 1968), a Polish-American businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded the software company MicroStrategy in 1989.
While the surname Kwasny has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other countries through immigration, particularly to the United States, Canada, and other parts of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kwasny
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwasny, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kwasny 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 Kwasny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 582
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 14
- Two or more races1.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kwasny
Kwasny 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
#34,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 654
-10 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 1,965 places
2020
#39,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 609
-45 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 4,469 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,609 | 664 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,574 | 654 | 0.22 | -10 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 1,965 places |
| 2020 | #39,043 | 609 | 0.20 | -45 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 4,469 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 Kwasny 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 | #34,574 | #39,043 | -12.9% |
| Count | 654 | 609 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.20 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kwasny bearers went from 654 to 609 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 4,469 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,574 to #39,043.
FAQ
Kwasny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kwasny?
Name Census estimates that about 698 living Americans carry the surname Kwasny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 491,052 residents.
How common is Kwasny?
Kwasny ranks #39,043 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 609 people with the surname Kwasny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (698), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Kwasny.
Has Kwasny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kwasny went from 654 recorded bearers to 609. That is a decrease of 45 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,574 to #39,043.
What does the Census say about the background of Kwasny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwasny, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Kwasny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (582 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kwasny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Kwasny (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 Kwasny mean?
A surname of Polish origin meaning "sour" or "acid". 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 Kwasny (0.20 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 common is the surname Kwasny?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kwasny? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.