- In 2025, the surname Nowak overtook Kowalski and became the most popular surname in Poland, both among women and men.
- 247,991 people in Poland have the Nowak surname, most of them in the Greater Poland Voivodeship and the least in the Podlaskie Voivodeship.
- The surname Nowak comes from a nickname and means a person new in a given environment.
For years, Jan Kowalski was held up as an example of an average Pole. On sample documents, postal messages and anecdotes about our compatriots. All because . However, Kowalski very often appeared with Nowak in this context, and it is the latter surname that most Polish citizens will have in 2025.
The most popular surname in Poland in 2025
According to data from the Ministry of Digitization, in 2025 most people in Poland will have the surname Nowak. It was similar in 2021 and 2020. According to the report from January this year, there are 147,672 men with the Nowak surname in our country, and 100,319 women, i.e. 247,991. Kowalskis, who ranked second in popularity, are 163,234 – 95,511 (men), 67,723 (women). In third place in the ranking is the surname Wiśniewski, which is worn by 129,559 people – 75,139 men and 54,420 women. The entire list of the most popular surnames can be found on the website Dane.gov.pl.
What does the surname Nowak mean?
According to the online dictionary of surnames in Poland, which includes, among others: the meaning and origin of the surname, the most Nowaks are in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, and the fewest in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. The surname Nowak in the feminine form may sound the same as in the masculine form. In the feminine form, the following can be used: Nowakowa, Nowakówna, Nowaczanka, as well as Nowakówka, Nowaczka, and in the dialectal form – Nowaczonka. The surname itself comes from a nickname and means someone new in a given environment.
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