2000
#20,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,173
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Makar
A surname of Polish/Slavic origin meaning a baker or miller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,860 Americans carry the last name Makar. That puts it at #17,094 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 184,277 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Makar 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
1.9K
1 in 184,277
Census rank
#17,094
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,622 bearers of the surname Makar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17094th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Makar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Makar
The surname Makar has its origins in the Slavic languages, primarily in the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian regions. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word "makarios," which means "blessed" or "happy." This name was likely adopted by early Christians in these regions as a personal name or a surname.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name Makar appeared in various forms, such as Makariy, Makaryev, and Makarov, indicating its connection to the root word "makar." These variations were commonly found in historical records and documents from the 10th to the 15th centuries in regions that are now part of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
One of the earliest known references to the name Makar can be traced back to the 11th century, when a monastery dedicated to St. Makar was established in the town of Zheltovodsk, located in present-day Ukraine. This monastery played a significant role in the spread of Christianity in the region and likely contributed to the popularization of the name.
During the Middle Ages, several notable individuals bore the surname Makar or its variations. One such person was Makar Alexeyevich Dekhterev (1645-1711), a Russian explorer and navigator who played a crucial role in mapping the northern regions of Russia and the Arctic Ocean.
Another prominent figure was Makar Vasilyevich Makarov (1848-1904), a Russian naval officer and oceanographer. He made significant contributions to the study of ocean currents and is remembered for his work on the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current.
In the realm of literature, Makar Nazhivin (1900-1945) was a Russian writer and playwright known for his works portraying the lives of ordinary people during the Soviet era. His plays, such as "The Guests" and "The Foreigner," were widely acclaimed and performed in theaters across the Soviet Union.
Another notable individual with the surname Makar was Makar Semyonovich Nesterov (1862-1942), a renowned Russian painter and a prominent figure in the Russian Symbolist movement. His works, which often depicted religious and mystical themes, are considered masterpieces of Russian art.
In more recent times, Makar Chudra (1937-2018) was a prominent Ukrainian writer and poet. He was known for his poetic works that explored themes of national identity, history, and the human condition, and his contributions to Ukrainian literature were widely recognized.
While the surname Makar may have originated in the Slavic regions, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Greek word "makarios," reflecting the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Makar
Among Census respondents with the surname Makar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Makar 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 Makar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,488
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 64
- Two or more races1.8% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Makar
Makar 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
#21,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,236
+63 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 312 places
2020
#17,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,622
+386 bearers (+31.2%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Up 4,134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,916 | 1,173 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,228 | 1,236 | 0.42 | +63 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 312 places |
| 2020 | #17,094 | 1,622 | 0.54 | +386 bearers (+31.2%) | Up 4,134 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 Makar 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 | #21,228 | #17,094 | 19.5% |
| Count | 1,236 | 1,622 | 31.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.54 | 29.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Makar bearers went from 1,236 to 1,622 (+31.2% change). The surname moved up 4,134 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,228 to #17,094.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Makar
FAQ
Makar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Makar?
Name Census estimates that about 1,860 living Americans carry the surname Makar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 184,277 residents.
How common is Makar?
Makar ranks #17,094 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,622 people with the surname Makar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,860), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Makar.
Has Makar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Makar went from 1,236 recorded bearers to 1,622. That is an increase of 386 (+31.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,228 to #17,094.
What does the Census say about the background of Makar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Makar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Makar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Makar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Makar (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 Makar mean?
A surname of Polish/Slavic origin meaning a baker or miller. 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 Makar (0.54 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 share the surname Makar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.