Explore the Family Name Olszewski

The meaning of Olszewski

Polish and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name for someone from any of the many places in Poland called Olsze, Olszew, Olszewa, or Olszewo, named with Polish olsza ‘alder’. Some characteristic forenames: Polish Jerzy, Casimir, Andrzej, Dariusz, Jacek, Lech, Mariusz, Stanislaw, Tadeusz, Wladyslaw, Aleksander, Boguslaw.

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

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

The surname Olszewski, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 5,655th, but by 2010 it had fallen to the 6,164th most popular surname, indicating a change of -9.0 percent. The number of individuals carrying this surname also decreased slightly. In 2000, there were 5,628 people named Olszewski, and this count dropped by 1.31 percent to 5,554 by 2010. Consequently, the proportion of Olszewskis per 100,000 people fell by 10.05 percent over the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#5,655#6,164-9%
Count5,6285,554-1.31%
Proportion per 100k2.091.88-10.05%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Olszewski

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of people with the surname Olszewski identify as White. This group accounted for 97.09 percent in 2000, decreasing slightly to 96.76 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, the percentages of Olszewskis identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic saw increases of 18.64 percent and 51.40 percent, respectively, over the same period. Those identifying as Black also increased, albeit from a very small base, up 63.64 percent from 2000 to 2010; on the other hand, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native or having two or more races declined by 44.00 percent and 35.16 percent, respectively.

20002010Change
White97.09%96.76%-0.34%
Hispanic1.07%1.62%51.4%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.59%0.7%18.64%
Two or More Races0.91%0.59%-35.16%
Black0.11%0.18%63.64%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.25%0.14%-44%

Olszewski 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 Olszewski is Eastern European, which comprises 46.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (18.1%) and French & German (16.9%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Korean, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Eastern European46.8%
British & Irish18.1%
French & German16.9%
Other18.2%
Olszewski

Possible origins of the surname Olszewski

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 Olszewski have recent ancestry locations in Poland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Masovian Voivodeship, Poland66.90%
Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland65.40%
Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland63.00%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom57.50%
West Midlands, United Kingdom57.50%

What Olszewski 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 Olszewski is R-CTS3402, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS3402 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-Y2905 and R-L23, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Sokolowski, Mazur, Kozak, Zielinski, Wrobel, Wozniak, Krajewski, Wilk, Wojciechowski, Koss.

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

olszewskiPaternal 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 Olszewski 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

Olszewski

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Olszewski" Surname 33.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Olszewski

Misophonia

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

"Olszewski" Surname 22.9%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Olszewski

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Olszewski" Surname 24.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Olszewski

Migraine

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

"Olszewski" Surname 20.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Olszewski?

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 Olszewski 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%