2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dragas
A surname potentially derived from the Greek word "drakos" meaning "dragon."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Dragas. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dragas 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Dragas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dragas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dragas
The surname DRAGAS is of Croatian origin, with roots dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have originated from the Croatian word "draga," which translates to "valley" or "gorge." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived in or near a valley or gorge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DRAGAS surname can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the coastal region of Dalmatia, which was part of the Croatian Kingdom at the time. The document mentions a landowner named Ivan Dragas, who held property in the area known as Dračevac, a village in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Split.
During the 15th century, the DRAGAS name appeared in various records from the Dubrovnik Republic, a maritime city-state located on the Adriatic coast. Notable individuals from this period include Nikola Dragas (1425-1492), a prosperous merchant who established trade routes between Dubrovnik and the Italian city-states.
As the Croatian population expanded and migrated throughout the Balkans, the DRAGAS surname spread to other regions. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the town of Kotor, which was part of the Venetian Republic at the time. One of the most prominent figures from this era was Marin Dragas (1548-1623), a skilled navigator and captain who commanded several Venetian galleys.
The 17th century saw the emergence of the DRAGAS name in the region of Slavonia, which was then part of the Habsburg Monarchy. Ivan Dragas (1634-1701) was a respected landowner and military officer who served in the Croatian Militia, defending the region against Ottoman incursions.
In the 19th century, a notable figure was Marko Dragas (1825-1891), a renowned Croatian writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Croatian National Revival. His literary works and advocacy for the Croatian language and culture influenced generations of intellectuals and activists.
Throughout history, several other individuals with the DRAGAS surname have left their mark in various fields, including Luka Dragas (1892-1957), a prominent architect who designed numerous buildings in Zagreb, and Tomislav Dragas (1918-2005), a renowned Croatian sculptor whose works can be found in public spaces across the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dragas
Among Census respondents with the surname Dragas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dragas 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 Dragas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dragas
Dragas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,795 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,795 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 Dragas 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 | #141,140 | #150,935 | -6.9% |
| Count | 118 | 108 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dragas bearers went from 118 to 108 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,795 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #150,935.
FAQ
Dragas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dragas?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Dragas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Dragas?
Dragas ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Dragas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Dragas.
Has Dragas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dragas went from 118 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Dragas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dragas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Dragas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dragas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Black (0.9%). 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 Dragas (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 Dragas mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Greek word "drakos" meaning "dragon." 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 Dragas (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 Dragas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.