2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Duchak
A Ukrainian surname derived from the word "dukh", meaning "spirit" or "breath".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Duchak. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duchak 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Duchak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duchak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duchak
The surname Duchak has its origins in the Slavic languages, specifically originating from the Czech Republic and surrounding regions in the late 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Slavic root word "duch," meaning "spirit" or "breath," which suggests a connection to spirituality or a sense of vitality.
This surname can be traced back to various regions within the former Bohemian Kingdom, including the modern-day areas of Moravia and Silesia. Historical records indicate that the name was first documented in the town of Brno, where it appeared in a church registry from the year 1387.
During the 15th century, the Duchak name gained prominence in the city of Prague, where several families bearing this surname were recorded as merchants and artisans. One notable example is Jan Duchak, a renowned clockmaker who lived from 1425 to 1497 and was responsible for maintaining the iconic Prague Astronomical Clock.
As the years progressed, the Duchak surname spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe, with variations in spelling emerging, such as Duchacek and Dushak. In the 17th century, a branch of the family migrated to the Prussian region, where they established themselves as landowners and minor nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Duchak name appearing outside of the Czech lands can be found in a 1692 document from the town of Gdansk (present-day Gdańsk, Poland), which mentions a merchant named Václav Duchak.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the Duchak surname emerged, including:
1. Antonín Duchak (1773-1842), a Czech philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Prague.
2. Božena Duchaková (1815-1890), a Czech writer and feminist advocate known for her contributions to women's education.
3. Josef Duchak (1855-1928), a Silesian politician and member of the Austro-Hungarian parliament.
4. Milada Duchaková (1892-1972), a renowned Czech opera singer who performed at the National Theatre in Prague.
5. Ladislav Duchak (1910-1985), a Slovak painter and member of the avant-garde art movement in the early 20th century.
While the Duchak surname is primarily associated with Czech and Slovak origins, it has since spread to various parts of the world through immigration, with descendants now found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duchak
Among Census respondents with the surname Duchak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Duchak 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 Duchak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duchak
Duchak 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 986 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 Duchak 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 | #153,769 | #154,755 | -0.6% |
| Count | 106 | 102 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duchak bearers went from 106 to 102 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 986 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #154,755.
FAQ
Duchak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duchak?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Duchak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Duchak?
Duchak ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Duchak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Duchak.
Has Duchak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duchak went from 106 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Duchak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duchak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Duchak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duchak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Duchak (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 Duchak mean?
A Ukrainian surname derived from the word "dukh", meaning "spirit" or "breath". 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 Duchak (0.03 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 Duchak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.