2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Fornek
A surname possibly derived from a French occupational name referring to a baker or oven worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Fornek. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fornek 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Fornek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fornek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fornek
The surname FORNEK is believed to have originated in the Germanic regions of Europe during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "forneck," which referred to a person who lived near a fork in a river or road. The earliest known spelling variations include Forneck, Fornek, and Fornec.
Historical records indicate that the name FORNEK first appeared in the 12th century in the region of Bavaria, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. One of the earliest documented references to the name is found in the Codex Diplomatus, a collection of medieval charters and documents, where a certain Ulrich Forneck is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1187.
In the 13th century, the FORNEK name spread to other parts of Germany, including Saxony and Thuringia. During this time, various members of the family were recorded in local chronicles and church records. Notable individuals from this era include Hans Fornek, a merchant from Leipzig born in 1261, and Gertrud Forneck, a nun from the Cistercian abbey in Halle, who lived from 1275 to 1343.
As the centuries passed, the FORNEK name continued to be present in various regions of Germany. In the 15th century, a family bearing this surname was documented in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where they were involved in the local textile trade. One of the most prominent figures from this era was Johannes Fornek (1423-1492), a respected weaver and civic leader.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several members of the FORNEK family were recorded in various German states, including Prussia, Bavaria, and Saxony. One notable individual from this period was Friedrich Fornek (1682-1754), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony who wrote extensively on religious topics.
In the 19th century, as emigration from Germany increased, the FORNEK name began to spread to other parts of the world. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in North America was in 1842, when a family headed by Johann Fornek settled in the town of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, after emigrating from Bavaria.
Throughout its long history, the FORNEK surname has been associated with a diverse range of individuals, from landowners and merchants to religious figures and tradesmen. While the name may have evolved in its spelling and pronunciation over time, its origins can be traced back to the medieval Germanic regions of Europe, where it likely referred to someone who lived near a fork in a river or road.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fornek
Among Census respondents with the surname Fornek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fornek 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 Fornek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fornek
Fornek 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,093 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 6,093 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 Fornek 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 | #158,432 | #152,339 | 3.8% |
| Count | 102 | 106 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fornek bearers went from 102 to 106 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 6,093 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,339.
FAQ
Fornek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fornek?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Fornek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Fornek?
Fornek ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Fornek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Fornek.
Has Fornek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fornek went from 102 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Fornek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fornek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Fornek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fornek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Fornek (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 Fornek mean?
A surname possibly derived from a French occupational name referring to a baker or oven worker. 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 Fornek (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 are called Fornek?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Fornek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.