2000
#51,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 383
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Bortnick
A surname of Yiddish origin indicating an occupational reference to a brewer or beer-maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 459 Americans carry the last name Bortnick. That puts it at #55,400 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 746,741 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bortnick 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
459
1 in 746,741
Census rank
#55,400
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
400
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 400 bearers of the surname Bortnick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55400th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bortnick
The surname BORTNICK is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, specifically in the region of Ukraine or Belarus. It likely emerged during the late medieval period, around the 15th or 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Slavic word "bort," which referred to a type of wild honey collected from tree hollows or decaying logs.
In the early days, this surname was likely associated with individuals involved in the trade or collection of bort honey, which was a valuable commodity at the time. The suffix "-nick" was a common patronymic ending, indicating that the name initially referred to someone's son or descendant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BORTNICK surname can be found in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth archives from the 17th century. These records document several individuals with variations of the name, such as Bortnik, Bortnicki, and Bortnitski.
During the 18th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was Grigory BORTNICK (1735-1804), a prominent Ukrainian beekeeper and writer who authored several treatises on beekeeping practices and the cultivation of honey.
In the 19th century, the BORTNICK surname gained recognition with the birth of Ivan BORTNICK (1823-1891), a Ukrainian painter and art teacher whose works captured the rural landscapes and traditional life of his homeland.
Another significant figure was Nadezhda BORTNICK (1876-1951), a Russian-born opera singer and vocal pedagogue who performed extensively in Europe and later taught at the Juilliard School in New York.
Moving into the 20th century, Mikhail BORTNICK (1901-1976) was a Soviet engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early television technology and held several patents related to cathode-ray tube designs.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Svetlana BORTNICK (1925-2005), a Ukrainian-American painter and sculptor whose abstract expressionist works were exhibited in galleries across the United States and Europe.
While the BORTNICK surname may have originated from humble beginnings in the beekeeping trade, it has since been carried by individuals from diverse professions and backgrounds, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bortnick
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bortnick 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 Bortnick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 378
- Two or more races2.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bortnick
Bortnick 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
#49,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 429
+46 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 2,032 places
2020
#55,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 400
-29 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 6,313 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #51,119 | 383 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,087 | 429 | 0.15 | +46 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 2,032 places |
| 2020 | #55,400 | 400 | 0.13 | -29 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 6,313 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 Bortnick 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 | #49,087 | #55,400 | -12.9% |
| Count | 429 | 400 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.13 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bortnick bearers went from 429 to 400 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 6,313 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,087 to #55,400.
FAQ
Bortnick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bortnick?
Name Census estimates that about 459 living Americans carry the surname Bortnick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 746,741 residents.
How common is Bortnick?
Bortnick ranks #55,400 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 400 people with the surname Bortnick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (459), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Bortnick.
Has Bortnick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bortnick went from 429 recorded bearers to 400. That is a decrease of 29 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #49,087 to #55,400.
What does the Census say about the background of Bortnick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Bortnick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (378 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bortnick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Bortnick (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 Bortnick mean?
A surname of Yiddish origin indicating an occupational reference to a brewer or beer-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 Bortnick (0.13 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 Bortnick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.