2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Chromiak
A surname derived from the Polish word "chrom" meaning lame or crippled.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Chromiak. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chromiak 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Chromiak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chromiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chromiak
The surname Chromiak has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in present-day Poland and Ukraine. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 14th centuries. It is derived from the Slavic word "chrom," which means "lame" or "crippled," suggesting a possible connection to an individual with a physical disability or a distinctive gait.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Chromiak surname can be found in Polish historical records from the 16th century, where it appears as "Chromiak" and variations such as "Chromiok" and "Chromiak." These records often refer to individuals residing in rural areas or small villages, indicating a possible peasant or agricultural background for many early Chromiak families.
In the 17th century, the Chromiak name appears in various Polish and Ukrainian manuscripts, including church registers and land ownership documents. During this period, the surname was concentrated in regions such as Galicia, a historical region that encompassed parts of modern-day Western Ukraine and southeastern Poland.
Among notable individuals bearing the Chromiak surname, one can mention Jakub Chromiak (1540-1615), a Polish landowner and nobleman from the village of Chromiak near Lviv, Ukraine. Another notable figure was Andriy Chromiak (1785-1867), a Ukrainian priest and writer who authored several religious texts and contributed to the preservation of Ukrainian language and culture.
In the 19th century, the Chromiak surname gained prominence with the birth of Mykhailo Chromiak (1823-1892), a Ukrainian writer, poet, and translator known for his contributions to the Ukrainian national revival movement. His works played a significant role in promoting Ukrainian literature and cultural identity during a time of Russian imperial rule.
Another individual of note was Volodymyr Chromiak (1876-1941), a Ukrainian politician and activist who advocated for Ukrainian independence and served as a member of the Ukrainian Central Rada, a revolutionary parliament established during the Ukrainian National Republic (1917-1920).
As the Chromiak surname spread across Eastern Europe, it also found its way to other regions through migration and diaspora communities. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the Chromiak surname immigrated to North America, particularly to the United States and Canada, seeking new opportunities and escaping political turmoil in their homelands.
While the Chromiak surname may have evolved over time and taken on various spellings across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the Slavic lands of Eastern Europe, where it has a rich history spanning centuries and encompassing individuals from diverse backgrounds and walks of life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chromiak
Among Census respondents with the surname Chromiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Chromiak 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 Chromiak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chromiak
Chromiak 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-12 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,794 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 18,794 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,403 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 Chromiak 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 | #142,108 | #143,511 | -1.0% |
| Count | 117 | 118 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chromiak bearers went from 117 to 118 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #143,511.
FAQ
Chromiak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chromiak?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Chromiak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Chromiak?
Chromiak ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Chromiak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Chromiak.
Has Chromiak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chromiak went from 117 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Chromiak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chromiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Chromiak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chromiak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Chromiak (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 Chromiak mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word "chrom" meaning lame or crippled. 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 Chromiak (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 have the surname Chromiak?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.