2000
#33,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 636
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Wachowski
A Polish surname derived from the term "wach" meaning guard or watchman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 708 Americans carry the last name Wachowski. That puts it at #38,609 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 484,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wachowski 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
708
1 in 484,116
Census rank
#38,609
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
617
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 617 bearers of the surname Wachowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38609th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wachowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wachowski
The surname Wachowski has its origins in Poland, emerging in the late 18th or early 19th century. It is derived from the Polish word "wachować," which means "to guard" or "to watch over." The name likely referred to an occupation or profession related to guarding or keeping watch, such as a night watchman or a sentry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wachowski can be found in the 1810 Prussian census records, where it appears as "Wachowski" in the region of Pomerania, which was then under Prussian rule. This region is now divided between modern-day Poland and Germany.
In the early 19th century, the name Wachowski was also found in the records of the Russian Empire, particularly in the areas that are now part of Belarus and Ukraine. This suggests that the name may have spread from Poland to these neighboring regions.
One notable figure with the surname Wachowski was Jan Wachowski, a Polish military officer who fought in the November Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1830-1831. He was born in 1796 and died in 1862.
Another individual of note was Franciszek Wachowski, a Polish writer and journalist who lived from 1820 to 1879. He wrote for several Polish newspapers and was known for his satirical works.
In the late 19th century, the Wachowski name can be found in various records from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, particularly in the regions of Galicia and Lodomeria, which are now part of modern-day Poland and Ukraine.
One example is Stanisław Wachowski, a Polish-Austrian painter and illustrator who lived from 1869 to 1953. He was known for his landscapes and portraits, and his works were exhibited in Vienna and other cities in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Another notable figure was Józef Wachowski, a Polish military officer and politician who lived from 1868 to 1939. He served in the Austro-Hungarian army and later became involved in Polish politics after World War I.
As Polish immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the Wachowski name spread to various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, it is important to note that the earliest recorded examples and historical references for the name are primarily found in Polish and Eastern European regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wachowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Wachowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wachowski 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 Wachowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 578
- Two or more races3.6% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wachowski
Wachowski 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
#33,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 678
+42 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 186 places
2020
#38,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 617
-61 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 5,013 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,782 | 636 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,596 | 678 | 0.23 | +42 bearers (+6.6%) | Up 186 places |
| 2020 | #38,609 | 617 | 0.21 | -61 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 5,013 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 Wachowski 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 | #33,596 | #38,609 | -14.9% |
| Count | 678 | 617 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.21 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wachowski bearers went from 678 to 617 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 5,013 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,596 to #38,609.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wachowski
FAQ
Wachowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wachowski?
Name Census estimates that about 708 living Americans carry the surname Wachowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 484,116 residents.
How common is Wachowski?
Wachowski ranks #38,609 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 617 people with the surname Wachowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (708), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Wachowski.
Has Wachowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wachowski went from 678 recorded bearers to 617. That is a decrease of 61 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,596 to #38,609.
What does the Census say about the background of Wachowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wachowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Wachowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (578 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wachowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Wachowski (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 Wachowski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the term "wach" meaning guard or watchman. 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 Wachowski (0.21 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 Wachowski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.