2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dynek
An occupational surname derived from the Czech word "dýňka" meaning a maker or seller of gourds or pumpkins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Dynek. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dynek 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Dynek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dynek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dynek
The surname DYNEK has its origins in Poland. It emerged in the late 14th century as a locative surname, derived from the Polish town of Dynów. Dynów itself comes from the Slavic word "dyn", meaning "melon". This suggests the original bearers of the DYNEK surname were likely from Dynów or nearby areas known for cultivating melons.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of DYNEK can be found in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of 15th century court records from Krakow. An entry from 1457 mentions a Michał Dynek as a landowner in the village of Wielkie Oczy. Another early reference is a 1493 deed that lists a Jan Dynek from the town of Stary Sącz.
By the 16th century, variants like Dyniek and Dynyek had emerged, reflecting the evolution of spelling and pronunciation over time. A 1587 tax roll from Krosno lists a Grzegorz Dyniek as a local landowner. A 1612 birth record from Nowy Sącz mentions an infant named Katarzyna, daughter of Tomasz Dynyek.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Jan Dynek (c.1500-1572), a noted Polish historian and chronicler. His works included detailed accounts of the reigns of Sigismund I the Old and Sigismund II Augustus of Poland.
Other notable individuals with this last name include Piotr Dynek (1564-1624), a Polish Catholic priest and rector of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Andrzej Dynek (1766-1824) was a Polish nobleman who served as a cavalry officer during the Kościuszko Uprising against Russian rule.
In the 19th century, Antoni Dynek (1820-1897) was a Polish painter known for his religious artworks in churches across Galicia. More recently, Władysław Dynek (1892-1956) was a Polish general who commanded the 7th Infantry Division during World War II before being captured by the Soviets.
While less common outside Poland today, the surname DYNEK maintains a centuries-old legacy rooted in the town of Dynów and the linguistic heritage of the Polish people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dynek
Among Census respondents with the surname Dynek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dynek 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 Dynek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dynek
Dynek 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+12 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,831 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-7 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,831 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 9,103 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 Dynek 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 | #132,206 | #141,309 | -6.9% |
| Count | 128 | 121 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dynek bearers went from 128 to 121 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 9,103 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #141,309.
FAQ
Dynek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dynek?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Dynek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Dynek?
Dynek ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Dynek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Dynek.
Has Dynek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dynek went from 128 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Dynek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dynek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Dynek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dynek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (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 Dynek (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 Dynek mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Czech word "dýňka" meaning a maker or seller of gourds or pumpkins. 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 Dynek (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 Dynek?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Dynek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.