2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Herchek
A surname referring to someone who worked as a military officer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Herchek. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herchek 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Herchek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herchek, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herchek
The surname Herchek is of Eastern European origin, believed to have originated in the region of present-day Slovakia and the surrounding areas during the late Middle Ages. It is a derivation of the German name "Herche" or "Hertche," which itself is derived from the Old German word "herc" or "herk," meaning "strong" or "powerful."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a document from the late 15th century, where it is spelled "Hertzke." This document was a record of land ownership in a small village near the town of Presov, located in what was then the Kingdom of Hungary.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Herczek" and "Herchek," in records from the nearby towns of Kosice and Bardejov. These records suggest that the name was associated with families of modest means, often tradesmen or artisans.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name became more widespread throughout the region, with variations in spelling like "Herchek" and "Herchik" appearing in church records and census documents from villages across eastern Slovakia and parts of modern-day Poland and Ukraine.
One notable bearer of the name was Jan Herchek, a Slovak peasant leader who played a role in the Uprising of 1831, a rebellion against the Habsburg Empire that sought greater autonomy for the Slovak people. Herchek was born in 1798 and was a vocal advocate for Slovak rights and culture.
Another individual of note was Michal Herchek, a Slovak writer and educator who lived from 1842 to 1910. He was a proponent of the Slovak language and contributed to the preservation of Slovak literature and folklore.
In the late 19th century, a branch of the Herchek family emigrated to the United States, settling in the coal mining regions of Pennsylvania. One of the earliest recorded instances of this branch is Joseph Herchek, born in 1867, who worked as a coal miner in the town of Hazelton.
Other notable bearers of the name include Stefan Herchek, a Slovak artist and painter who lived from 1875 to 1948, and Anna Herchekova, a Slovak writer and journalist active in the early 20th century.
While the Herchek name has its origins in a specific region of Eastern Europe, it has since spread across the globe, carried by descendants of those original families who left their homeland in search of new opportunities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herchek
Among Census respondents with the surname Herchek, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Herchek 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 Herchek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 5
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herchek
Herchek 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 3,223 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 Herchek 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 | #151,532 | #154,755 | -2.1% |
| Count | 108 | 102 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herchek bearers went from 108 to 102 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 3,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #154,755.
FAQ
Herchek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herchek?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Herchek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Herchek?
Herchek ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Herchek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Herchek.
Has Herchek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herchek went from 108 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Herchek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herchek, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Herchek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herchek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Herchek (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 Herchek mean?
A surname referring to someone who worked as a military officer. 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 Herchek (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 many people share the surname Herchek?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.