2000
#7,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Bednar
A Czech occupational surname referring to a cooper or barrel maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,565 Americans carry the last name Bednar. That puts it at #7,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bednar 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
4.6K
1 in 75,083
Census rank
#7,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,981 bearers of the surname Bednar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bednar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bednar
Among Census respondents with the surname Bednar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bednar 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 Bednar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 3,744
- Two or more races2.8% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bednar
Bednar 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
#7,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,151
+157 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 282 places
2020
#7,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,981
-170 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,686 | 3,994 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,968 | 4,151 | 1.41 | +157 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 282 places |
| 2020 | #7,977 | 3,981 | 1.33 | -170 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 9 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 Bednar 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 | #7,968 | #7,977 | -0.1% |
| Count | 4,151 | 3,981 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.33 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bednar bearers went from 4,151 to 3,981 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,968 to #7,977.
FAQ
Bednar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bednar?
Name Census estimates that about 4,565 living Americans carry the surname Bednar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,083 residents.
How common is Bednar?
Bednar ranks #7,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,981 people with the surname Bednar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,565), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Bednar.
Has Bednar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bednar went from 4,151 recorded bearers to 3,981. That is a decrease of 170 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,968 to #7,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Bednar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bednar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Bednar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (3,744 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bednar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Bednar (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 Bednar mean?
A Czech occupational surname referring to a cooper or barrel maker. 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 Bednar (1.33 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 Bednar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.