2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bursik
A surname meaning a furrier, one who works with animal fur.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Bursik. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bursik 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Bursik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bursik, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bursik
The surname Bursik is of Slovak origin and dates back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Slovak word 'brsť', meaning 'graft' or 'bud', and likely referred to someone who worked as a gardener or horticulturist.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historical records of the town of Dolný Kubín, located in present-day Slovakia. A document from 1483 mentions a certain Ján Bursik, who was a local landowner and farmer.
The name also appears in various church records and municipal documents from the 16th and 17th centuries throughout the region of present-day Slovakia and neighboring areas of modern-day Czech Republic and Hungary. For example, a baptismal record from 1629 in the village of Stará Ľubovňa mentions a newborn named Michal Bursik.
During the 18th century, the Bursik surname began to spread beyond its original geographic area. One notable individual was Ján Bursik (1734-1812), a Slovak Catholic priest and educator who served as a professor at the University of Trnava.
In the 19th century, the name can be found in various historical records across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. For instance, the 1857 census of the city of Bratislava lists several families with the surname Bursik.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jozef Bursik (1868-1945), a Slovak politician and journalist who played a prominent role in the Slovak national movement and the establishment of Czechoslovakia.
As Slovak immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the Bursik surname also spread to other countries. For example, Vincent Bursik (1888-1962) was a Slovak-American Catholic priest and author who served as a missionary in South Dakota.
The name has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations within Slovakia, such as the village of Bursík near the town of Dolný Kubín, which likely took its name from an early inhabitant or landowner with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bursik
Among Census respondents with the surname Bursik, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bursik 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 Bursik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 105
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bursik
Bursik 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
+10 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 410 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-30 bearers (-21.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,357 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 410 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-21.9%) | Down 26,357 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 Bursik 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 | #125,282 | #151,639 | -21.0% |
| Count | 137 | 107 | -21.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -28.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bursik bearers went from 137 to 107 (-21.9% change). The surname moved down 26,357 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #151,639.
FAQ
Bursik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bursik?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Bursik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Bursik?
Bursik ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Bursik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Bursik.
Has Bursik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bursik went from 137 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 30 (-21.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Bursik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bursik, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%). 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 Bursik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bursik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Black (1.9%). 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 Bursik (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 Bursik mean?
A surname meaning a furrier, one who works with animal fur. 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 Bursik (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 Bursik?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.