2000
#76,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 235
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Strus
A surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "stream" or "creek."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 256 Americans carry the last name Strus. That puts it at #89,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,338,884 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strus 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
256
1 in 1,338,884
Census rank
#89,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
223
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 223 bearers of the surname Strus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 89231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strus, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strus
The surname STRUS has its origins in Poland, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "strusz," which means "ostrich." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or occupational name to someone who worked with or traded in ostrich feathers or other related goods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the STRUS surname can be found in the "Akta Grodzkie" (Court Records) of the Krakow region from the late 1300s. Here, a certain "Stanislaw Strus" is mentioned as a landowner and merchant.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various historical documents across different regions of Poland, such as the "Metryka Koronna" (Crown Metrica) and the "Akta Miejskie" (Town Records) of cities like Warsaw and Poznan. This indicates that the STRUS family had established itself in various parts of the country by that time.
A notable bearer of the STRUS name was Jan Strus (1619-1692), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's wars against Sweden and Russia. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
Another prominent figure was Wladyslaw Strus (1782-1854), a Polish writer and poet who was part of the Polish Romantic literary movement. His most famous work was the epic poem "Mariacka," which celebrated the historic city of Krakow.
In the 19th century, the STRUS surname can be found in the records of various Polish communities that had settled in other parts of Europe, such as Germany and France, as a result of political upheavals and migrations.
Other notable individuals with the STRUS surname include Andrzej Strus (1905-1987), a Polish architect and urban planner who contributed significantly to the reconstruction efforts in Warsaw after World War II, and Zofia Strus (1921-2004), a renowned Polish actress and theater director who performed in numerous plays and films throughout her career.
While the STRUS name originated in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era in the Polish lands, where it likely began as a descriptive or occupational surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strus
Among Census respondents with the surname Strus, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Strus 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 Strus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 198
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 11
- Two or more races4.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strus
Strus 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
#84,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223
-12 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 7,928 places
2020
#89,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,095 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #76,208 | 235 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #84,136 | 223 | 0.08 | -12 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 7,928 places |
| 2020 | #89,231 | 223 | 0.07 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,095 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 Strus 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 | #84,136 | #89,231 | -6.1% |
| Count | 223 | 223 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.07 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strus bearers went from 223 to 223 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 5,095 positions in the national ranking, going from #84,136 to #89,231.
FAQ
Strus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strus?
Name Census estimates that about 256 living Americans carry the surname Strus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,338,884 residents.
How common is Strus?
Strus ranks #89,231 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 223 people with the surname Strus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (256), 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 Strus.
Has Strus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strus went from 223 recorded bearers to 223. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #84,136 to #89,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Strus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strus, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Strus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (198 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Strus (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 Strus mean?
A surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "stream" or "creek." 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 Strus (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 last name Strus?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Strus? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.