2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dijak
A Croatian surname derived from the word "dijak" meaning student or scholar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Dijak. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dijak 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Dijak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dijak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dijak
The surname Dijak is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, likely in modern-day Croatia, Serbia, or Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the early medieval period. It is derived from the Slavic word "diak," which means "scribe" or "clerk," suggesting that the name may have been initially bestowed upon those who worked as scribes or in administrative roles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dijak can be found in the Dubrovnik archives from the 14th century, where it appears as "Dijak" or "Dijacich." This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records from the Croatian coastal region of Dalmatia. For example, a certain Mihovil Dijak is mentioned in a document from the city of Split in 1567.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dijak surname can be found in records from various parts of Croatia, as well as in neighboring regions such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. One notable bearer of the name was Antun Franjo Dijak, a Croatian writer and poet who lived from 1766 to 1820.
In the 19th century, the Dijak surname gained prominence in the region of Slavonia, which was then part of the Habsburg Monarchy. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Josip Dijak, a Croatian politician and writer who played a significant role in the Croatian National Revival movement in the mid-19th century.
Another notable figure was Marija Dijak, a Croatian educator and feminist activist who lived from 1866 to 1942 and was a pioneer in promoting women's rights and education in Croatia.
Beyond the Balkans, the Dijak surname can also be found in other Slavic-speaking regions, such as Poland and Ukraine. For instance, in the late 19th century, there was a Polish writer and journalist named Władysław Dijak, who was born in 1858 and contributed to the development of Polish literature.
While the Dijak surname is most prevalent in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval scribes and clerks of the Balkans, where the name originated and gained prominence over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dijak
Among Census respondents with the surname Dijak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dijak 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 Dijak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 104
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dijak
Dijak 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,605 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,605 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,787 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 Dijak 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 | #150,452 | #148,665 | 1.2% |
| Count | 109 | 111 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dijak bearers went from 109 to 111 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #148,665.
FAQ
Dijak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dijak?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Dijak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Dijak?
Dijak ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Dijak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Dijak.
Has Dijak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dijak went from 109 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Dijak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dijak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Dijak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dijak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Dijak (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 Dijak mean?
A Croatian surname derived from the word "dijak" meaning student or scholar. 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 Dijak (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 common is the surname Dijak?
You can see how many people have the last name Dijak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.