2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hranek
A surname of Eastern European origin possibly derived from a word meaning "boundary" or "frontier".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Hranek. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hranek 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Hranek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hranek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hranek
The surname HRANEK has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Czech word "hranice," which means "border" or "boundary." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a border or worked as a guard or watchman at a border crossing.
Early records of the name can be found in medieval manuscripts and documents from the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, which were part of the Kingdom of Bohemia at the time. Variations of the spelling include Hranek, Hranetsky, and Hranicky.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a land registry from the town of Brno in 1347, where a man named Jan Hranek is listed as a landowner. Another notable mention is in the Liber Viridis, a 14th-century manuscript from the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, which references a certain Vaclav Hranek.
The name HRANEK has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Jan Hranek (c. 1380-1457), a Czech priest and philosopher who taught at the University of Prague and was a follower of the reformer Jan Hus.
During the Hussite Wars of the 15th century, a military commander named Zikmund Hranek (c. 1410-1478) gained prominence for his role in leading the Taborite forces against the Catholic armies of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 16th century, a renowned Czech botanist and herbalist, Matej Hranek (1540-1616), authored several influential works on medicinal plants and their uses.
Another notable figure was Karel Hranek (1675-1737), a Czech architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several baroque churches and monasteries in Prague and other parts of Bohemia.
In the 19th century, a Czech writer and journalist named Frantisek Hranek (1825-1892) gained recognition for his satirical novels and essays commenting on the social and political issues of his time.
While the surname HRANEK is relatively uncommon outside of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, it has a rich history deeply rooted in the cultural and historical heritage of the regions of Bohemia and Moravia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hranek
Among Census respondents with the surname Hranek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hranek 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 Hranek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hranek
Hranek 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,364 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,690 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,364 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 2,690 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 Hranek 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 | #146,201 | #143,511 | 1.8% |
| Count | 113 | 118 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hranek bearers went from 113 to 118 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 2,690 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #143,511.
FAQ
Hranek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hranek?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Hranek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Hranek?
Hranek ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Hranek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Hranek.
Has Hranek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hranek went from 113 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 5 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Hranek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hranek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Hranek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hranek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Hranek (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 Hranek mean?
A surname of Eastern European origin possibly derived from a word meaning "boundary" or "frontier". 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 Hranek (0.04 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 Hranek?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Hranek? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.