2000
#69,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 265
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Hejduk
A Polish and Ukrainian surname meaning "forest ranger" or "gamekeeper".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 365 Americans carry the last name Hejduk. That puts it at #67,004 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 939,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hejduk 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
365
1 in 939,053
Census rank
#67,004
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
318
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 318 bearers of the surname Hejduk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67004th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hejduk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hejduk
The surname Hejduk is of Czech and Polish origin, derived from the Czech and Polish words "hajduk" or "hejduk" meaning "brigand" or "cavalryman." It likely originated in the late 15th or early 16th century, during the time of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Habsburg Monarchy.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the term "hajduk" referred to outlaws or bandits who roamed the Balkans and Carpathian Mountains, often engaging in guerrilla warfare against the Ottoman Empire. Some of these hajduks were later recruited into the military forces of various Central European kingdoms and principalities, becoming cavalrymen or light infantry.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Hejduk can be found in historical documents and records from the Czech lands and Poland during the 16th and 17th centuries, often referring to individuals who were either former hajduks or soldiers of similar background.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Hejduk was Ondřej Hejduk (c. 1590-1639), a Czech soldier and leader of the Moravian Estates' army during the Thirty Years' War. Another was Jan Hejduk (c. 1640-1702), a Polish military leader and commander of the Hajduk forces in the Polish-Ottoman War.
In the 18th century, the surname Hejduk began to appear in various parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as in other regions of Central and Eastern Europe. One prominent individual was Karel Hejduk (1802-1856), a Czech writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Czech National Revival movement.
During the 19th century, the Hejduk surname gained further recognition with individuals such as Antonín Hejduk (1835-1923), a Czech architect and one of the leading figures of the Czech Neo-Renaissance architectural style, and Václav Hejduk (1868-1945), a Czech politician and member of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Council.
Other notable individuals with the surname Hejduk include John Hejduk (1929-2000), an American architect and educator of Polish descent, and Martin Hejduk (born 1976), a Czech professional ice hockey player who played for several NHL teams, including the Colorado Avalanche and the Phoenix Coyotes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hejduk
Among Census respondents with the surname Hejduk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hejduk 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 Hejduk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 297
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 10
- Two or more races2.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hejduk
Hejduk 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
#66,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
+34 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 3,037 places
2020
#67,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 318
+19 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #69,201 | 265 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #66,164 | 299 | 0.10 | +34 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 3,037 places |
| 2020 | #67,004 | 318 | 0.11 | +19 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 840 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 Hejduk 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 | #66,164 | #67,004 | -1.3% |
| Count | 299 | 318 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.11 | 6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hejduk bearers went from 299 to 318 (+6.4% change). The surname moved down 840 positions in the national ranking, going from #66,164 to #67,004.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hejduk
FAQ
Hejduk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hejduk?
Name Census estimates that about 365 living Americans carry the surname Hejduk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 939,053 residents.
How common is Hejduk?
Hejduk ranks #67,004 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 318 people with the surname Hejduk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Hejduk.
Has Hejduk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hejduk went from 299 recorded bearers to 318. That is an increase of 19 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #66,164 to #67,004.
What does the Census say about the background of Hejduk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hejduk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Hejduk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (297 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hejduk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Hejduk (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 Hejduk mean?
A Polish and Ukrainian surname meaning "forest ranger" or "gamekeeper". 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 Hejduk (0.11 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 Hejduk?
You can see how many people have the surname Hejduk on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.