2000
#58,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 324
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Hrbek
A surname of Czech origin possibly derived from the words "hrb" meaning hunchback or hump.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 364 Americans carry the last name Hrbek. That puts it at #67,188 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 941,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hrbek 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
364
1 in 941,633
Census rank
#67,188
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
317
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 317 bearers of the surname Hrbek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67188th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hrbek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hrbek
The surname HRBEK is of Czech origin, with its roots dating back to the medieval period in the region of Bohemia, which is now part of the modern-day Czech Republic. The name is derived from the Czech word "hrbek," which translates to "little hump" or "small hill," suggesting that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for someone living near a small hill or elevated terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HRBEK surname can be found in the Liber Viridis, a 14th-century manuscript compiled by the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, near the city of Kutná Hora. This document lists several individuals with variations of the HRBEK name, such as Hrbek, Hrbek, and Hrbek.
The name HRBEK has also been associated with various place names throughout the Czech lands. For instance, there is a village called Hrbkov in the Plzeň Region, which may have been named after an early bearer of the HRBEK surname or vice versa.
One notable figure in history bearing the HRBEK name was Jan Hrbek (1590-1658), a Czech scholar and educator who served as the rector of the University of Prague during the turbulent period of the Thirty Years' War. Another significant individual was Václav Hrbek (1785-1853), a Czech composer and organist who contributed to the development of sacred music in Bohemia.
In the 19th century, the HRBEK surname gained prominence with the birth of Josef Hrbek (1844-1919), a Czech politician and journalist who played a crucial role in the Czech National Revival movement. His son, Jaroslav Hrbek (1881-1964), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned Czech historian and professor at Charles University in Prague.
Another notable bearer of the HRBEK name was Zdenek Hrbek (1915-1995), a Czech diplomat and ambassador who served as the Permanent Representative of Czechoslovakia to the United Nations from 1971 to 1983.
While the surname HRBEK is predominantly found in the Czech Republic, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be firmly traced back to the medieval lands of Bohemia, where it emerged as a descriptive name reflecting the region's topography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hrbek
Among Census respondents with the surname Hrbek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hrbek 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 Hrbek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 296
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 12
- Two or more races2.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hrbek
Hrbek 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
#59,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 337
+13 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 1,348 places
2020
#67,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317
-20 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 7,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,553 | 324 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,901 | 337 | 0.11 | +13 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 1,348 places |
| 2020 | #67,188 | 317 | 0.11 | -20 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,287 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 Hrbek 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 | #59,901 | #67,188 | -12.2% |
| Count | 337 | 317 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hrbek bearers went from 337 to 317 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,901 to #67,188.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hrbek
FAQ
Hrbek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hrbek?
Name Census estimates that about 364 living Americans carry the surname Hrbek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 941,633 residents.
How common is Hrbek?
Hrbek ranks #67,188 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 317 people with the surname Hrbek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (364), 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 Hrbek.
Has Hrbek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hrbek went from 337 recorded bearers to 317. That is a decrease of 20 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #59,901 to #67,188.
What does the Census say about the background of Hrbek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hrbek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) 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 Hrbek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (296 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hrbek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.8%), 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 Hrbek (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 Hrbek mean?
A surname of Czech origin possibly derived from the words "hrb" meaning hunchback or hump. 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 Hrbek (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 have the surname Hrbek?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.