2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ferchak
A surname derived from a diminutive form of the Slavic personal name Ferdinand.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Ferchak. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferchak 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Ferchak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferchak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferchak
The surname Ferchak is believed to have originated in the region of Slovakia and parts of modern-day Poland, dating back to the early 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Slavic root word "ferch," which means "curly" or "wavy," potentially referring to the physical appearance of an early bearer of the name.
Some linguistic experts have also suggested that Ferchak may have evolved from the German surname "Fercher," which itself stems from the Germanic word "ferch," meaning "pine tree." This potential connection could indicate that the name originated from a person living near a pine forest or working with pine wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ferchak surname can be found in the parish records of the village of Žilina, located in what is now northwestern Slovakia, dating back to the late 1500s. The name was also present in various historical records from the nearby regions of Orava and Liptov during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Ferchak surname throughout history is Ján Ferchak (1732-1803), a Slovak Catholic priest and theologian who served as a parish priest in the town of Bytča. Another prominent figure was Michal Ferchak (1856-1924), a Slovak politician and member of the Hungarian parliament, representing the interests of the Slovak minority in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In the early 20th century, Jozef Ferchak (1892-1967) was a renowned Slovak sculptor and artist, recognized for his wood carvings and contributions to the folk art tradition. Additionally, Andrej Ferchak (1921-1998) was a Slovak writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories depicting life in rural Slovakia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ferchak surname in the United States can be traced back to the late 19th century, when Slovak immigrants began arriving in larger numbers, often settling in industrial cities like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, Ohio.
While the Ferchak name may have evolved over time and taken on slightly different spellings or variations in different regions, its origins can be firmly rooted in the historical regions of Slovakia and neighboring areas, reflecting the cultural and linguistic heritage of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferchak
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferchak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferchak 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 Ferchak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferchak
Ferchak 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-17 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 26,791 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 26,791 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 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 Ferchak 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 | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferchak bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Ferchak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferchak?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Ferchak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Ferchak?
Ferchak ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Ferchak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Ferchak.
Has Ferchak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferchak went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferchak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferchak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Ferchak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferchak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Ferchak (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 Ferchak mean?
A surname derived from a diminutive form of the Slavic personal name Ferdinand. 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 Ferchak (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 Ferchak?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.