2000
#12,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,219
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Hajek
A Czech occupational surname referring to a miner or charcoal burner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,307 Americans carry the last name Hajek. That puts it at #14,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,571 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hajek 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
2.3K
1 in 148,571
Census rank
#14,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,012 bearers of the surname Hajek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hajek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hajek
The surname Hajek originates from the Czech Republic, with roots dating back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Czech word "hajek," which means a small forest or grove. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to refer to someone who lived near or worked in a small wooded area.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Hayek, Haik, and Haieck. These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping and spelling during that time period. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in a land registry from the town of Kolin in 1387, where a person named Jan Hajek is mentioned as a landowner.
The Hajek surname gained prominence in the 16th century, particularly in the region of Bohemia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. During this time, several notable individuals bearing the name emerged, including Tadeáš Hajek (1525-1600), a renowned Czech humanist, writer, and translator. His works played a significant role in the development of the Czech language and literature.
Another notable figure was Václav Hajek (1564-1631), a Czech historian and author best known for his work "Kronika česká" (The Bohemian Chronicle), a comprehensive account of the history of Bohemia and Moravia. This influential work was widely read and helped shape the understanding of Czech history during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Hajek surname spread further across the Czech lands, and several place names emerged that incorporated the name. For instance, the village of Hajek near the town of Beroun was first mentioned in records dating back to 1789. This suggests that the name may have been associated with specific locations or settlements where families with this surname resided.
One of the most prominent figures with the Hajek surname in modern times was Eduard Hajek (1903-1990), a Czech physicist and inventor. He is best known for his contributions to the development of television technology, particularly his work on the cathode ray tube and the invention of the super-iconoscope, an important component in early television cameras.
Other notable individuals with the Hajek surname include František Hajek (1886-1962), a Czech architect known for his Art Nouveau and Cubist-style buildings in Prague; Miloš Hajek (1951-), a Czech-born Canadian artist and illustrator renowned for his surrealist and dreamlike artworks; and Jindřich Hajek (1915-1990), a Czech politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czechoslovakia from 1984 to 1988.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hajek
Among Census respondents with the surname Hajek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hajek 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 Hajek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,839
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 90
- Two or more races3.2% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hajek
Hajek 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
#14,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,119
-100 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,408 places
2020
#14,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,012
-107 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,764 | 2,219 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,172 | 2,119 | 0.72 | -100 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 1,408 places |
| 2020 | #14,307 | 2,012 | 0.67 | -107 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 135 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 Hajek 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 | #14,172 | #14,307 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,119 | 2,012 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.67 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hajek bearers went from 2,119 to 2,012 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,172 to #14,307.
FAQ
Hajek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hajek?
Name Census estimates that about 2,307 living Americans carry the surname Hajek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,571 residents.
How common is Hajek?
Hajek ranks #14,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,012 people with the surname Hajek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hajek.
Has Hajek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hajek went from 2,119 recorded bearers to 2,012. That is a decrease of 107 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,172 to #14,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Hajek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hajek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Hajek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,839 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hajek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Hajek (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 Hajek mean?
A Czech occupational surname referring to a miner or charcoal burner. 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 Hajek (0.67 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 Hajek?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Hajek, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.