2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Helak
A Croatian surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "devastation" or "destruction".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Helak. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Helak 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Helak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Helak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Helak
The surname HELAK is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Poland, with its roots dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Old Polish word "Helak," which roughly translates to "loud" or "boisterous." This suggests that the name was likely given as a descriptor or nickname to individuals known for their loud or boisterous personalities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HELAK surname can be found in the historic city of Krakow, where a merchant named Jan HELAK is mentioned in a trade ledger from the year 1472. Additionally, a reference to a landowner named Maciej HELAK appears in a land deed from the nearby village of Wieliczka, dated 1489.
During the 16th century, the HELAK name began to spread beyond its origins in southern Poland, with records indicating families bearing this surname in the regions of Silesia and Pomerania. A notable example is Katarzyna HELAK, a noblewoman from Wrocław, who was involved in a legal dispute over inherited lands in 1587.
The 17th century saw the HELAK name continue to establish itself across various parts of Poland, with several individuals of note. One such individual was Bartłomiej HELAK, a scholar and theologian from Poznań, who published a widely circulated treatise on religious philosophy in 1632. Another was Aleksander HELAK, a military officer who served in the Polish-Swedish War of the mid-17th century.
As the centuries progressed, the HELAK surname became more widespread and began to appear in other parts of Europe as well. In the 18th century, a merchant named Franciszek HELAK from Gdańsk (Danzig) established a successful trading business in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Meanwhile, in the 19th century, a family of HELAK blacksmiths operated a renowned smithy in the town of Lviv (Lemberg), then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Throughout its history, the HELAK surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, merchants, soldiers, and artisans. While the name's origins can be traced back to Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by those who have emigrated from their ancestral homelands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Helak
Among Census respondents with the surname Helak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Helak 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 Helak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Helak
Helak 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 362 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 Helak 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 | #156,044 | #155,682 | 0.2% |
| Count | 104 | 100 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Helak bearers went from 104 to 100 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #155,682.
FAQ
Helak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Helak?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Helak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Helak?
Helak ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Helak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Helak.
Has Helak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Helak went from 104 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Helak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Helak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Helak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Helak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Helak (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 Helak mean?
A Croatian surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "devastation" or "destruction". 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 Helak (0.03 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 Helak?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Helak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.