2000
#10,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,725
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Horak
A Czech occupational surname referring to a mountaineer, messenger, or herald.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,934 Americans carry the last name Horak. That puts it at #11,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Horak 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
2.9K
1 in 116,822
Census rank
#11,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,559 bearers of the surname Horak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Horak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Horak
The surname Horak is of Czech origin, derived from the word "hora" meaning "mountain" or "hill." It likely emerged as a locational surname, given to individuals who lived near or came from a mountainous region in what is now the Czech Republic.
The earliest recorded instances of the Horak surname can be traced back to the 15th century in Bohemia, a historical region that encompassed parts of modern-day Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria. The name appeared in various forms, such as Horak, Horáck, Horaczek, and Horaczky, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
One notable historical reference to the Horak surname is found in the records of the Hussite Wars (1419-1434), a significant religious and social conflict in Bohemia. Jan Horak, a prominent military leader and commander, played a crucial role in the Hussite armies during this turbulent period.
In the 16th century, the Horak surname gained further recognition when Václav Horak (1499-1568), a renowned Czech humanist scholar and writer, published several influential works on literature and theology. His contributions to the Czech language and cultural heritage were significant.
Another prominent figure bearing the Horak surname was Frantisek Horak (1801-1871), a Czech composer and conductor who made notable contributions to the development of Czech classical music in the 19th century.
The village of Horaky, located in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic, is believed to have derived its name from the Horak surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and its geographical origins.
Other notable individuals with the Horak surname include:
1. Miroslav Horak (1923-2003), a Czech writer and poet known for his works exploring themes of existentialism and human experience.
2. Jan Horak (1901-1945), a Czechoslovak athlete who competed in the pole vault event at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics.
3. Jaromir Horak (1924-2006), a Czech film director and screenwriter who gained recognition for his documentaries and feature films portraying life in post-World War II Czechoslovakia.
4. Jaroslav Horak (1933-2022), a renowned Czech sculptor and artist whose works were exhibited both nationally and internationally.
5. Jiri Horak (born 1981), a contemporary Czech footballer who played as a midfielder for various clubs in the Czech Republic and abroad.
While the Horak surname is predominantly associated with the Czech Republic, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement, reflecting the diverse cultural and historical experiences of those who carry this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Horak
Among Census respondents with the surname Horak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Horak 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 Horak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,361
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 87
- Two or more races2.7% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Horak
Horak 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
#10,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,947
+222 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 61 places
2020
#11,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,559
-388 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 903 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,748 | 2,725 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,809 | 2,947 | 1.00 | +222 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 61 places |
| 2020 | #11,712 | 2,559 | 0.86 | -388 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 903 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 Horak 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 | #10,809 | #11,712 | -8.4% |
| Count | 2,947 | 2,559 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.86 | -14.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Horak bearers went from 2,947 to 2,559 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 903 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,809 to #11,712.
FAQ
Horak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Horak?
Name Census estimates that about 2,934 living Americans carry the surname Horak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,822 residents.
How common is Horak?
Horak ranks #11,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,559 people with the surname Horak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,934), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Horak.
Has Horak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Horak went from 2,947 recorded bearers to 2,559. That is a decrease of 388 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,809 to #11,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Horak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Horak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Horak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,361 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Horak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Horak (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 Horak mean?
A Czech occupational surname referring to a mountaineer, messenger, or herald. 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 Horak (0.86 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 Horak?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Horak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.