2000
#45,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 441
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Hronek
Czech surname derived from the word "hronek" meaning a small horn or trumpet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 515 Americans carry the last name Hronek. That puts it at #50,348 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 665,542 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hronek 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
515
1 in 665,542
Census rank
#50,348
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
449
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 449 bearers of the surname Hronek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 50348th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hronek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hronek
The surname HRONEK is of Czech and Slovak origin, originating in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Czech word "hron," meaning "thunder" or "roar," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a loud or thunderous body of water, such as a waterfall or rapids.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bohemian Land Tables, a collection of legal records from the 14th century. In these records, a certain Hronek of Litice is mentioned in connection with a land transaction in the year 1376.
The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from the 15th and 16th centuries, with variations in spelling such as Hroniek, Hronik, and Hroneck. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
During the 17th century, the name HRONEK can be found in the records of several prominent Czech and Slovak families. One notable figure was Jan Hronek (1602-1672), a Czech priest and scholar who served as the rector of the University of Prague.
In the 18th century, the name became associated with the village of Hronici (formerly Hronek) in the Bohemian region of Plzeň. This village likely took its name from an early settler or landowner with the surname HRONEK.
Other notable individuals with the surname HRONEK include:
1. Václav Hronek (1819-1891), a Czech writer and journalist.
2. Karel Hronek (1866-1945), a Czech architect and urban planner.
3. Jaroslav Hronek (1923-2005), a Czech painter and graphic artist.
4. Petr Hronek (born 1977), a Czech professional ice hockey player.
5. Filip Hronek (born 1997), a Czech professional ice hockey player and brother of Petr Hronek.
Overall, the surname HRONEK has a long and rich history in the Czech and Slovak regions, dating back to the medieval era and reflecting the unique cultural and linguistic traditions of these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hronek
Among Census respondents with the surname Hronek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hronek 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 Hronek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 433
- Two or more races2.0% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 5
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hronek
Hronek 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
#48,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 438
-3 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 2,605 places
2020
#50,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 449
+11 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 2,092 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,651 | 441 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,256 | 438 | 0.15 | -3 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 2,605 places |
| 2020 | #50,348 | 449 | 0.15 | +11 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 2,092 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 Hronek 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 | #48,256 | #50,348 | -4.3% |
| Count | 438 | 449 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hronek bearers went from 438 to 449 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 2,092 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,256 to #50,348.
FAQ
Hronek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hronek?
Name Census estimates that about 515 living Americans carry the surname Hronek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 665,542 residents.
How common is Hronek?
Hronek ranks #50,348 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 449 people with the surname Hronek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (515), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Hronek.
Has Hronek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hronek went from 438 recorded bearers to 449. That is an increase of 11 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #48,256 to #50,348.
What does the Census say about the background of Hronek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hronek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Hronek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (433 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hronek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Two or More Races (2.0%), Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Hronek (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 Hronek mean?
Czech surname derived from the word "hronek" meaning a small horn or trumpet. 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 Hronek (0.15 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 Hronek?
Want to know how many people have the surname Hronek? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.