Although many of us automatically associate a “typical Pole” with the surname Kowalski, the reality has just changed. The Ministry of Digitization has published fresh data from the PESEL register, which shows a new leader.
The year 2025 brought the symbolic end of the “Kowalski era”. Currently, the most common surname in Poland is Nowak. Wear her over 199 thousand peopleincl 100,319 women i 98,859 men. Thus, the Nowaks dethroned the Kowalskis, who had been in first place in the rankings for decades. The surname Nowak has a long history and interesting meaning. It comes from the word “new” and originally meant a person new to a given environment – a newcomer, settler or novice. Interestingly, the same surname, in the Novák version, is also the most popular in the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
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It takes second place in the ranking Kowalskiwhich he can be proud of over 135 thousand Poles. This surname has craft roots – it comes from the word “blacksmith”, i.e. a person dealing with metal production. Although Kowalski lost his crown, he still remains one of the most recognizable names in the country. Its popularity over the years has made it even a symbol of the “statistical Pole”.
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According to data from the Ministry of Digitization, it completes the podium Wiśniewski. This is his surname over 107 thousand citizens. Further in the ranking were also:
- Wojcik — approx. 96,000 people,
- Kowalczyk — over 95,000,
- Kaminski — over 93,000,
- Lewandowski — over 91,000,
- Zieliński — over 89,000,
- Szymanski — approximately 86,000,
- Wozniak — about 86,000.
This list shows that many of the most common surnames have professional roots, i.e. related to crafts, farm work or service.
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