2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Benyak
Geographical surname likely originating from the village of Benyak in present-day Hungary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Benyak. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benyak 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Benyak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benyak, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benyak
The surname BENYAK is of Eastern European origin, with its roots likely traced back to the Slavic regions of modern-day Ukraine and Poland. The name is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century, derived from the Slavic word "benyak," which means "a person who makes or sells bast shoes." Bast, a fibrous material obtained from the inner bark of trees like linden, was widely used in those regions for weaving shoes and other items.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BENYAK surname can be found in the Akty Grodskie, a collection of legal documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These records mention a certain Iwan BENYAK, a craftsman from the town of Lviv (then part of the Kingdom of Poland), who was involved in a legal dispute in 1582.
As the BENYAK name spread across Eastern Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Beniak, Benyak, and Benyakevych. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences. In some areas, the name was associated with specific villages or towns, leading to the formation of locational surnames like BENYAKIVKA or BENYAKOVO.
One notable figure with the BENYAK surname was Yuriy BENYAK (1892-1957), a Ukrainian writer and poet who was a prominent figure in the literary circles of the early 20th century. His works often explored themes of rural life and the struggles of the Ukrainian people under various occupations.
Another individual of note was Andrei BENYAK (1909-1989), a Soviet military officer who served during World War II and was awarded the prestigious Hero of the Soviet Union medal for his bravery and leadership on the Eastern Front.
In the realm of sports, the name BENYAK gained recognition through Mykola BENYAK (1935-2018), a Ukrainian boxer who competed in the lightweight division and won a silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Historically, the BENYAK surname has also been documented in various regions of present-day Poland, with records indicating families bearing this name in cities like Krakow and Warsaw as early as the 17th century.
One example is Jan BENYAK (1620-1684), a Polish nobleman and landowner who was known for his philanthropic efforts in supporting local schools and churches in the Lublin region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benyak
Among Census respondents with the surname Benyak, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Benyak 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 Benyak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 110
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benyak
Benyak 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-19 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,081 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,900 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 26,081 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,900 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 Benyak 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 | #149,395 | #146,495 | 1.9% |
| Count | 110 | 114 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benyak bearers went from 110 to 114 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,900 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #146,495.
FAQ
Benyak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benyak?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Benyak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Benyak?
Benyak ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Benyak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Benyak.
Has Benyak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benyak went from 110 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Benyak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benyak, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Benyak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benyak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Benyak (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 Benyak mean?
Geographical surname likely originating from the village of Benyak in present-day Hungary. 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 Benyak (0.04 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 Benyak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.