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

Bodnar, 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 Bodnar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bodnar in America

Bodnar is the 6214th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bodnar surname appeared 5,502 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bodnar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bodnar 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 Bodnar

The surname Bodnar has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the regions that are now parts of modern-day Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.

The name Bodnar is derived from the Slavic word "bodnari," which referred to a cooper or a maker of barrels, casks, and other wooden containers. This occupation was crucial in those times, as barrels were widely used for storing and transporting various goods, including liquids like wine, beer, and spirits.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bodnar can be found in the Metryka Koronna, a series of medieval Polish Crown Registers dating back to the 15th century. These records mention individuals with the surname Bodnar, indicating their presence in the region at that time.

In the 16th century, the name Bodnar appeared in the Akty Grodskie, a collection of court records from the Ukrainian territories that were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These records provide valuable insights into the lives and activities of people bearing this surname during that era.

Historically, the Bodnar surname has been associated with various notable individuals. One such figure was Jan Bodnar (1576-1643), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Muscovite War and the Smolensk War. Another prominent individual was Petro Bodnar (1835-1891), a Ukrainian writer, journalist, and activist who played a significant role in the cultural and literary movements of his time.

Other notable individuals with the surname Bodnar include:

1. Józef Bodnar (1808-1856), a Polish painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
2. Mykhailo Bodnar (1924-2012), a Ukrainian writer and poet who wrote extensively about life in rural Ukraine.
3. Ivan Bodnar (1920-2004), a Ukrainian-Canadian artist and sculptor known for his abstract and figurative works.
4. Olha Bodnar (born 1976), a Ukrainian politician and diplomat who served as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
5. Yuriy Bodnar (born 1985), a Ukrainian professional footballer who has played for various clubs in Ukraine and Russia.

The surname Bodnar has also been associated with various place names and toponyms throughout Eastern Europe, reflecting the geographical spread of individuals bearing this name over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bodnar

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

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 Bodnar 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 Bodnar 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 Bodnar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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