2000
#92,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 184
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Bondra
A surname of Slavic origin indicating a bondar, or maker of wooden staved vessels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 240 Americans carry the last name Bondra. That puts it at #93,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,428,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bondra 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
240
1 in 1,428,143
Census rank
#93,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
209
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 209 bearers of the surname Bondra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 93963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bondra, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bondra
The surname Bondra has its origins in Slovakia and the surrounding regions of Central Europe. It is believed to have derived from the Old Slavic word "bondar," which referred to a cooper or barrel-maker. This occupation was prevalent in the area during the medieval period, and it is likely that the name was initially used to identify individuals who worked in this trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bondra can be found in historical documents from the 16th century. In 1537, a record from the town of Brezno in present-day Slovakia mentions a "Ján Bondra," who was a local craftsman. Additionally, the name appears in various parish records and tax registers from the 17th and 18th centuries in the regions of Slovakia and Moravia.
One notable figure bearing the Bondra surname was Jozef Bondra, a Slovak writer and poet who lived from 1876 to 1960. He was a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time and contributed significantly to the development of Slovak literature. Another individual of note was Jaroslav Bondra, a Slovak ice hockey player who played for various teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1990 and 2004.
In the 19th century, the name Bondra began to spread beyond its Central European origins as families immigrated to other parts of the world. One such example is Ladislav Bondra, a Slovak-American ice hockey player who played in the NHL from 1989 to 2007. He was born in 1968 in Lutsk, Ukraine, but his family had roots in Slovakia.
The Bondra surname has also been associated with various place names in Slovakia, such as the village of Bondra, which is located in the Michalovce District. This village likely took its name from the prevalent occupation of barrel-making in the area.
Another notable figure with the Bondra surname was Ján Bondra, a Slovak politician and lawyer who lived from 1859 to 1936. He played a significant role in the Slovak national movement and was a member of the Hungarian Parliament, representing Slovak interests.
While the Bondra surname may not be as widespread as some others, it has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in the regions of Central Europe where it originated. The name continues to be carried by individuals of Slovak descent and serves as a link to the past and the traditions of barrel-making that were once so prevalent in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bondra
Among Census respondents with the surname Bondra, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bondra 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 Bondra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 198
- Two or more races4.8% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bondra
Bondra 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
#88,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 211
+27 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 4,581 places
2020
#93,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 209
-2 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,943 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #92,601 | 184 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,020 | 211 | 0.07 | +27 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 4,581 places |
| 2020 | #93,963 | 209 | 0.07 | -2 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 5,943 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 Bondra 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 | #88,020 | #93,963 | -6.8% |
| Count | 211 | 209 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bondra bearers went from 211 to 209 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 5,943 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,020 to #93,963.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bondra
FAQ
Bondra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bondra?
Name Census estimates that about 240 living Americans carry the surname Bondra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,428,143 residents.
How common is Bondra?
Bondra ranks #93,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 209 people with the surname Bondra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (240), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Bondra.
Has Bondra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bondra went from 211 recorded bearers to 209. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #88,020 to #93,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Bondra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bondra, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Bondra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (198 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bondra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Bondra (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 Bondra mean?
A surname of Slavic origin indicating a bondar, or maker of wooden staved vessels. 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 Bondra (0.07 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 people have the surname Bondra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.