2000
#5,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,469
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.03
Rare Last name
Bodnar
An occupational surname of Slavic origin referring to a cooper or barrel maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,952 Americans carry the last name Bodnar. That puts it at #6,303 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bodnar 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bodnar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 57,586
Census rank
#6,303
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,190 bearers of the surname Bodnar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6303rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodnar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bodnar
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodnar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bodnar 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 Bodnar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 4,802
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 182
- Two or more races2.5% · 130
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 40
- Black or African American0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bodnar
Bodnar 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
#6,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,502
+33 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 425 places
2020
#6,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,190
-312 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,789 | 5,469 | 2.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,214 | 5,502 | 1.87 | +33 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 425 places |
| 2020 | #6,303 | 5,190 | 1.74 | -312 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 89 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 Bodnar 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 | #6,214 | #6,303 | -1.4% |
| Count | 5,502 | 5,190 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.74 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bodnar bearers went from 5,502 to 5,190 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,214 to #6,303.
FAQ
Bodnar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bodnar?
Name Census estimates that about 5,952 living Americans carry the surname Bodnar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,586 residents.
How common is Bodnar?
Bodnar ranks #6,303 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,190 people with the surname Bodnar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,952), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bodnar.
Has Bodnar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bodnar went from 5,502 recorded bearers to 5,190. That is a decrease of 312 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,214 to #6,303.
What does the Census say about the background of Bodnar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodnar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Bodnar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (4,802 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bodnar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Bodnar (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 Bodnar mean?
An occupational surname of Slavic origin 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 Bodnar (1.74 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 Bodnar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.