2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hruz
A surname derived from the Czech word "hruz" meaning terror or horror.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Hruz. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hruz 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Hruz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hruz, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hruz
The surname HRUZ has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Czech word "hruz," which translates to "horror" or "terror." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had a particularly fearsome or intimidating presence.
In the early medieval period, the HRUZ name was predominantly found in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, which were the historical lands of the Czech people. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the Czech lands, where a certain Petr HRUZ is mentioned in a land transaction from the year 1327.
The name HRUZ also appears in several other ancient manuscripts and chronicles from the region, including the Chronica Bohemorum by Cosmas of Prague, written in the 12th century. This suggests that the name had already become well-established among the Czech nobility and gentry by that time.
One notable bearer of the HRUZ surname was Jan HRUZ, a Czech soldier and military commander who fought in the Hussite Wars of the 15th century. He was born around 1395 and gained renown for his bravery and tactical skills on the battlefield.
Another significant figure with this surname was Vaclav HRUZ, a renowned Czech painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his intricate and detailed works, many of which depicted religious scenes and themes.
In the 18th century, a prominent Czech sculptor named Josef HRUZ gained recognition for his elaborate baroque-style sculptures and architectural decorations, which adorned many churches and palaces throughout the Czech lands.
A more recent historical figure with the HRUZ surname was Frantisek HRUZ, a Czech geologist and paleontologist who lived from 1867 to 1938. He made significant contributions to the study of fossils and ancient geological formations in the Czech Republic.
While the name HRUZ is relatively uncommon outside of the Czech Republic, it has maintained a strong presence in its homeland, with many families proudly carrying on the tradition of this ancient Czech surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hruz
Among Census respondents with the surname Hruz, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hruz 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 Hruz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hruz
Hruz 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,734 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-14 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 9,734 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 14,173 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 Hruz 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 | #133,048 | #147,221 | -10.7% |
| Count | 127 | 113 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hruz bearers went from 127 to 113 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 14,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #147,221.
FAQ
Hruz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hruz?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Hruz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Hruz?
Hruz ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Hruz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Hruz.
Has Hruz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hruz went from 127 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Hruz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hruz, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Hruz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hruz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Hruz (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 Hruz mean?
A surname derived from the Czech word "hruz" meaning terror or horror. 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 Hruz (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 have the last name Hruz?
See how common the surname Hruz is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.