2000
#41,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 498
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Bednarik
A Slavic surname likely derived from a term meaning a young rural man or farmhand.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 541 Americans carry the last name Bednarik. That puts it at #48,348 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 633,557 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bednarik 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.
Bearers in the US
541
1 in 633,557
Census rank
#48,348
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
472
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 472 bearers of the surname Bednarik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48348th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bednarik, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bednarik
The surname Bednarik is of Czech and Slovak origin, having its roots in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, which are now part of the modern-day Czech Republic. The name is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
Bednarik is derived from the Czech/Slovak word "bednar," which means "cooper" or "barrel maker." This occupation-based surname was initially given to individuals or families whose primary trade was the crafting and repairing of wooden barrels and casks, a vital profession in those times for the storage and transportation of various goods.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Bednarik can be found in the Liber Viridis (The Green Book), a medieval land registry from the city of Brno in Moravia, dating back to the late 14th century. This record mentions a certain "Johannes Bednarik," suggesting the surname was already in use during that period.
In the 16th century, the name Bednarik appeared in several church registers and municipal records across Bohemia and Moravia. For instance, a record from the town of Litomyšl in eastern Bohemia mentions a "Václav Bednarik" in 1568, while a register from the city of Olomouc in Moravia lists a "Jan Bednarik" in 1587.
Over the centuries, the surname Bednarik has seen various spellings and regional variations, such as Bednarik, Bednárik, Bednařík, and Bednarz, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the areas where it was prevalent.
Notable individuals with the surname Bednarik include:
1. Jan Bednarik (1645-1706), a Czech Catholic priest and writer from Bohemia.
2. František Bednarik (1784-1847), a Slovak linguist and educator who contributed to the standardization of the Slovak language.
3. Ladislav Bednarik (1901-1962), a Czech pianist and composer known for his contributions to the development of Czech jazz music.
4. Chuck Bednarik (1925-2015), a renowned American football player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, whose family roots can be traced back to Czech immigrants.
5. Petr Bednarik (born 1986), a Czech professional ice hockey player who has played in various European leagues.
While the surname Bednarik may have evolved over time and spread to different regions, its origins can be traced back to the skilled coopers and barrel makers of medieval Bohemia and Moravia, whose craftsmanship played a vital role in the daily lives and economies of those times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bednarik
Among Census respondents with the surname Bednarik, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bednarik 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 Bednarik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 447
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 16
- Two or more races1.1% · 5
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bednarik
Bednarik 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
#43,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 503
+5 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 1,744 places
2020
#48,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 472
-31 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 5,342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,262 | 498 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,006 | 503 | 0.17 | +5 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 1,744 places |
| 2020 | #48,348 | 472 | 0.16 | -31 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 5,342 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 Bednarik 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 | #43,006 | #48,348 | -12.4% |
| Count | 503 | 472 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.16 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bednarik bearers went from 503 to 472 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 5,342 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,006 to #48,348.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bednarik
FAQ
Bednarik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bednarik?
Name Census estimates that about 541 living Americans carry the surname Bednarik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 633,557 residents.
How common is Bednarik?
Bednarik ranks #48,348 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 472 people with the surname Bednarik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (541), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bednarik.
Has Bednarik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bednarik went from 503 recorded bearers to 472. That is a decrease of 31 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,006 to #48,348.
What does the Census say about the background of Bednarik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bednarik, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Bednarik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (447 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bednarik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Bednarik (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 Bednarik mean?
A Slavic surname likely derived from a term meaning a young rural man or farmhand. 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 Bednarik (0.16 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 Americans have the surname Bednarik?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.