Explore the Family Name Borkowski

The meaning of Borkowski

Polish and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from any of various places called Borki, Borkowice, or Borek, all named with Polish bór ‘pine forest’, or from Borków, which derives from the personal name Borek + the possessive suffix -ow. Some characteristic forenames: Polish Wieslaw, Andrzej, Jacek, Janusz, Piotr, Ryszard, Slawomir, Witold, Beata, Bogdan, Boguslaw, Casimir.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Borkowski in the United States?

According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Borkowski saw a slight change in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 7362nd most popular surname in the U.S., dropping to the 7857th position in 2010, marking a decrease of 6.72%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the surname Borkowski increased slightly, from 4,171 in 2000 to 4,212 in 2010, a growth of 0.98%. However, when considering the proportion per 100k people, there was a decrease of 7.74%, moving from 1.55 in 2000 to 1.43 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#7,362#7,857-6.72%
Count4,1714,2120.98%
Proportion per 100k1.551.43-7.74%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Borkowski

With regard to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates some shifts for those bearing the Borkowski surname between 2000 and 2010. While the majority identified as White (98.20% in 2000 and 97.06% in 2010), there were notable increases in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (growing by 64.71%), those reporting two or more races (an increase of 81.40%), and those identifying as Hispanic (rising by 82.86%). Meanwhile, individuals identifying as Black also increased by 40.91%, and those indicating American Indian and Alaskan Native identity remained relatively stable, showing a minor decrease of 3.45%.

20002010Change
White98.2%97.06%-1.16%
Hispanic0.7%1.28%82.86%
Two or More Races0.43%0.78%81.4%
Black0.22%0.31%40.91%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.17%0.28%64.71%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.29%0.28%-3.45%

Borkowski ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Borkowski is Eastern European, which comprises 38.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (26.5%) and French & German (20.8%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Greek & Balkan, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Eastern European38.5%
British & Irish26.5%
French & German20.8%
Other14.2%
Borkowski

Possible origins of the surname Borkowski

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Borkowski have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Poland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland59.60%
Masovian Voivodeship, Poland58.70%
Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland58.70%
Greater London, United Kingdom57.70%
Merseyside, United Kingdom57.70%

What Borkowski haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Borkowski is R-L1029, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L1029 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include I-DF29 and I-P37.2, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Turek, Lukas, Urban, Henke, Henning, Krueger, Jankowski, Krupa, Pawlowski, Graff.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Borkowski surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

borkowskiPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Borkowski have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Borkowski

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Borkowski" Surname 34.4%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Borkowski

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Borkowski" Surname 25.0%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Borkowski

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Borkowski" Surname 28.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Borkowski

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Borkowski" Surname 17.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Borkowski?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Borkowski are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Eastern European 60.6%

23andMe Users 57.2%