Find out how popular the last name Bednar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bednar.

Bednar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bednar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bednar in America

Bednar is the 7968th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bednar surname appeared 4,151 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bednar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bednar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bednar

The surname Bednar is of Czech origin, deriving from the Czech word "bednář," which means "cooper" or "barrel maker." The name emerged during the Middle Ages, likely between the 12th and 15th centuries, when the profession of barrel making was prevalent in Central Europe.

Bednar is considered an occupational surname, referring to the occupation of the family's earliest known ancestors. The name was most commonly found in the regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia, which were part of the Kingdom of Bohemia during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bednar can be found in the Liber Vetustissimus, an old land register from the city of Brno, Moravia, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears as "Bednarz," which was a common spelling variation at the time.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Bednar was Jan Bednar (c. 1515-1589), a Czech Protestant reformer and theologian. He was a prominent figure in the Bohemian Reformation movement and authored several works on religious matters.

Another historical figure with the surname Bednar was Václav Bednar (1775-1857), a Czech writer and teacher who lived during the Czech National Revival period. He was known for his contributions to Czech literature and his efforts in promoting the Czech language.

In the 19th century, the name Bednar appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia. The name was listed in connection with various land transactions and legal records.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bednar in the United States can be traced back to the late 19th century, when Czech immigrants began arriving in larger numbers. Josef Bednar (1841-1926), a Czech-American farmer and immigrant from Bohemia, settled in Texas in the 1870s and became a prominent member of the local Czech community.

Another notable figure with the surname Bednar was Karel Bednar (1890-1963), a Czech artist and painter known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Bohemia. His works are part of several museum collections in the Czech Republic.

Throughout history, the surname Bednar has been found in various spellings, such as Bednarz, Bednář, and Bednár, depending on the regional variations and language influences. However, the root of the name and its connection to the occupation of barrel making remain consistent across these variations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bednar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bednar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bednar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bednar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bednar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bednar, please contact us.

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