2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hulak
A Slavic surname denoting a mischievous or unruly person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Hulak. 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 Hulak 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 Hulak 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 Hulak, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hulak
The surname Hulak is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Polish word "hul," which means "to roar" or "to resound." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was particularly loud or boisterous.
In the early days, the surname Hulak was predominantly found in the regions of Mazovia and Lesser Poland, where it was often associated with small villages or towns. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in parish records and tax registers from the mid-16th century.
One notable early reference to the name Hulak comes from the Księga Sądowa Miasta Krakowa (Book of Judicial Records of the City of Krakow), where a certain Jan Hulak is mentioned as a witness in a legal case from the year 1587.
As the name spread across Poland in the following centuries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Hulack, Hulacki, and Hulaczek. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the influence of different scribes who recorded the name.
Among the earliest known bearers of the Hulak surname was Marcin Hulak, a nobleman and landowner who lived in the village of Wielkie Oczy (now part of Ukraine) in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he owned substantial land holdings in the region.
Another notable figure was Jakub Hulak, a Catholic priest who served in the town of Stary Sącz in the early 17th century. He is mentioned in several church records from that period, indicating his importance within the local religious community.
In the 19th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the Hulak surname was Wincenty Hulak (1803-1878), a Polish writer and poet who was part of the Romantic literary movement. His works, which often explored themes of nationalism and Polish identity, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Józef Hulak (1873-1944), a Polish lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Sejm (parliament) in the early 20th century. He was actively involved in the struggle for Polish independence and played a role in shaping the country's political landscape after World War I.
While the Hulak surname may not be among the most common in Poland today, its rich history and varied bearers have left an indelible mark on the country's cultural and historical tapestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hulak
Among Census respondents with the surname Hulak, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hulak 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 Hulak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hulak
Hulak 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 711 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 711 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,113 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 Hulak 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 | #142,108 | #147,221 | -3.6% |
| Count | 117 | 113 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hulak bearers went from 117 to 113 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #147,221.
FAQ
Hulak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hulak?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Hulak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Hulak?
Hulak 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 Hulak. 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 Hulak.
Has Hulak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hulak went from 117 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Hulak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hulak, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Hulak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hulak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (3.5%), Black (0.9%). 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 Hulak (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 Hulak mean?
A Slavic surname denoting a mischievous or unruly person. 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 Hulak (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 common is the surname Hulak?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Hulak is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.