2000
#9,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,314
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Wieczorek
Derived from the Polish word "wieczorek," meaning "evening," possibly referring to someone who worked or was born in the evening.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,588 Americans carry the last name Wieczorek. That puts it at #9,863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,528 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wieczorek 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 Wieczorek with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,528
Census rank
#9,863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,129 bearers of the surname Wieczorek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieczorek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wieczorek
The surname Wieczorek originates from Poland and is derived from the Polish word "wieczor," which means "evening." It likely originated as a nickname or an occupational name for someone who worked in the evenings or was known for being active during that time of day.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Wieczorek can be traced back to the 15th century in various Polish regions, such as Silesia and Greater Poland. The name is also found in historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries, indicating its widespread use across different parts of the country.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Wieczorek was Jan Wieczorek, a Polish nobleman and landowner who lived in the 16th century. Records indicate that he owned substantial properties in the region of Lesser Poland.
Another notable figure was Stanisław Wieczorek, a Polish poet and writer from the 17th century. He is best known for his collections of religious poetry and his contributions to the development of Polish literature during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, Józef Wieczorek was a prominent Polish painter and art professor. He was born in 1835 and is celebrated for his landscape paintings and portraits, which captured the beauty of Polish rural life and traditions.
The name Wieczorek has also been associated with various place names in Poland. For instance, there is a village called Wieczorek in the Łódź Voivodeship, which likely derived its name from the surname or the word "wieczor."
Another notable individual with the surname Wieczorek was Jerzy Wieczorek, a Polish historian and archaeologist born in 1926. He made significant contributions to the study of ancient civilizations, particularly in the field of Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology.
While the surname Wieczorek has its roots in Poland, it has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, the historical records and accounts mentioned above provide valuable insights into the origins and significance of this surname within Polish culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wieczorek
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieczorek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wieczorek 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 Wieczorek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 2,989
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 69
- Two or more races1.5% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wieczorek
Wieczorek 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
#9,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,354
+40 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 610 places
2020
#9,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,129
-225 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,069 | 3,314 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,679 | 3,354 | 1.14 | +40 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 610 places |
| 2020 | #9,863 | 3,129 | 1.05 | -225 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 184 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 Wieczorek 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 | #9,679 | #9,863 | -1.9% |
| Count | 3,354 | 3,129 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.05 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wieczorek bearers went from 3,354 to 3,129 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 184 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,679 to #9,863.
FAQ
Wieczorek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wieczorek?
Name Census estimates that about 3,588 living Americans carry the surname Wieczorek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,528 residents.
How common is Wieczorek?
Wieczorek ranks #9,863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,129 people with the surname Wieczorek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,588), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Wieczorek.
Has Wieczorek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wieczorek went from 3,354 recorded bearers to 3,129. That is a decrease of 225 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,679 to #9,863.
What does the Census say about the background of Wieczorek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wieczorek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Wieczorek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (2,989 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wieczorek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (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 Wieczorek (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 Wieczorek mean?
Derived from the Polish word "wieczorek," meaning "evening," possibly referring to someone who worked or was born in the evening. 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 Wieczorek (1.05 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 are called Wieczorek?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Wieczorek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.