2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bobalik
A Polish surname indicating someone from the town of Bobalik.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Bobalik. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bobalik 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Bobalik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobalik, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bobalik
The surname BOBALIK is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Central and Eastern Europe, likely in the areas of modern-day Poland, Ukraine, or Belarus. It is thought to have derived from the Slavic word "bobr," meaning "beaver," combined with a diminutive suffix "-ik" or "-lik." This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with beavers or lived near a beaver habitat.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BOBALIK dates back to the 15th century, appearing in a Polish parish register from the town of Tarnów. In this record, a man named Jan Bobalik was listed as a landowner and farmer. The name also appears in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of Galicia and Volhynia, which were then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Notable individuals with the surname BOBALIK include Stanisław Bobalik (1550-1621), a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Muscovite Wars. Another early bearer of the name was Jakub Bobalik (1610-1678), a Polish Catholic priest and scholar who authored several theological treatises.
During the 19th century, the BOBALIK surname gained prominence in the Ukrainian regions of the Russian Empire. One notable figure was Ivan Bobalik (1825-1901), a Ukrainian writer and activist who advocated for the preservation of Ukrainian culture and language. His son, Petro Bobalik (1860-1932), followed in his footsteps as a prominent Ukrainian educator and author.
In the 20th century, the name BOBALIK appears to have spread more widely across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as to other parts of the world through migration. One noteworthy bearer of the name was Stanisław Bobalik (1901-1978), a Polish-Canadian artist and sculptor who emigrated to Canada in the 1920s and became known for his carved wooden sculptures depicting scenes from Polish folklore.
While the surname BOBALIK may have originated from a reference to beavers or beaver-related occupations, it has since taken on a more diverse range of meanings and associations as it has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bobalik
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobalik, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bobalik 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 Bobalik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bobalik
Bobalik 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,522 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-10 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 14,522 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 8,848 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 Bobalik 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 | #144,141 | #152,989 | -6.1% |
| Count | 115 | 105 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bobalik bearers went from 115 to 105 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 8,848 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,989.
FAQ
Bobalik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bobalik?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Bobalik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Bobalik?
Bobalik ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Bobalik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Bobalik.
Has Bobalik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bobalik went from 115 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Bobalik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobalik, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Bobalik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bobalik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Bobalik (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 Bobalik mean?
A Polish surname indicating someone from the town of Bobalik. 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 Bobalik (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 Americans have the surname Bobalik?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.