Find out how popular the last name Durak is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Durak.

Durak, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Durak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Durak in America

Durak is the 115639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Durak surname appeared 151 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Durak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Durak to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Durak

The surname DURAK has its origins in the Slavic languages, specifically in the Russian and Ukrainian languages. It can be traced back to the 16th century and is believed to have derived from the word "durak," which means "fool" or "simpleton" in both languages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Veliky Novgorod Chronicles, which date back to the late 15th century. These chronicles mention a certain Fedor Durak, who was a prominent merchant in the city of Novgorod during that time.

The name DURAK was also found in the archives of the Moscow Principality, where it was recorded as the surname of several peasant families living in the outskirts of Moscow in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It is possible that these families were given the surname DURAK as a derogatory term, indicating their perceived lack of intelligence or wisdom.

During the 18th century, the surname DURAK appeared in the records of the Russian Imperial Army. One notable individual was Ivan Durak, a soldier who fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 and was awarded the Order of St. George for his bravery in battle.

Another prominent figure with the surname DURAK was Pyotr Durak, a Russian revolutionary who participated in the Decembrist Revolt of 1825. He was arrested and exiled to Siberia for his involvement in the uprising against the Tsar.

In the 19th century, a Ukrainian writer and poet named Taras Durak gained recognition for his works that celebrated the beauty of the Ukrainian language and culture. He was born in 1835 and died in 1910.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname DURAK was Aleksandr Durak, a Russian painter and art critic who lived from 1870 to 1952. He was known for his vibrant and expressive paintings that captured the essence of rural life in Russia.

While the surname DURAK may have originally carried a derogatory connotation, it has become a well-established and respected name in both Russia and Ukraine, with many individuals throughout history bearing this surname with pride.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Durak

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Durak.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Durak was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Durak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Durak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Durak, please contact us.

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