2000
#63,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 295
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Ihnat
A surname derived from a given name meaning "John" in Ukrainian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 341 Americans carry the last name Ihnat. That puts it at #70,918 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,005,145 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ihnat 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
341
1 in 1,005,145
Census rank
#70,918
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
297
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 297 bearers of the surname Ihnat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 70918th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ihnat, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ihnat
The surname IHNAT is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, specifically in the region that is now modern-day Ukraine and western Russia. Its roots can be traced back to the 16th century or earlier.
One theory suggests that the name IHNAT is derived from the given name Ignat, which itself is a variant of the Greek name Ignatius. Ignat was a popular name among Eastern Slavic populations during the Middle Ages, and it's possible that the surname IHNAT emerged as a patronymic form, meaning "son of Ignat."
Another possible origin for the surname IHNAT is that it may have been an occupational name, referring to someone who worked as a blacksmith or metalworker. In some Slavic languages, the word "ihnat" or similar variations were used to describe the act of forging or hammering metal.
While there are no definitive records of the surname IHNAT appearing in major historical documents like the Domesday Book, some early mentions of the name can be found in Ukrainian and Russian church records and census data from the 17th and 18th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname IHNAT was Ivan Ihnat, a Ukrainian Cossack who lived in the late 16th century and was known for his participation in various military campaigns against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In the 18th century, there was a notable Russian painter named Andrei Ihnat, who was born around 1720 and is best known for his religious iconography and frescoes adorning various churches in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Another individual of note was Hryhoriy Ihnat, a Ukrainian writer and poet who lived in the 19th century (1822-1893) and was a prominent figure in the Ukrainian cultural revival movement of that era.
In the early 20th century, there was a Ukrainian politician and diplomat named Oleksandr Ihnat (1879-1954), who served as a representative of the Ukrainian People's Republic in various European countries.
Lastly, one of the more recent individuals with the surname IHNAT was Vasyl Ihnat (1908-1998), a Ukrainian-Canadian artist and sculptor who became known for his religious and monumental works, many of which can be found in churches and public spaces across Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ihnat
Among Census respondents with the surname Ihnat, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ihnat 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 Ihnat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 268
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 15
- Two or more races3.0% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ihnat
Ihnat 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
#64,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 306
+11 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 1,594 places
2020
#70,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 297
-9 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 6,027 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #63,297 | 295 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #64,891 | 306 | 0.10 | +11 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 1,594 places |
| 2020 | #70,918 | 297 | 0.10 | -9 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 6,027 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 Ihnat 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 | #64,891 | #70,918 | -9.3% |
| Count | 306 | 297 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ihnat bearers went from 306 to 297 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 6,027 positions in the national ranking, going from #64,891 to #70,918.
FAQ
Ihnat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ihnat?
Name Census estimates that about 341 living Americans carry the surname Ihnat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,005,145 residents.
How common is Ihnat?
Ihnat ranks #70,918 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 297 people with the surname Ihnat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (341), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Ihnat.
Has Ihnat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ihnat went from 306 recorded bearers to 297. That is a decrease of 9 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #64,891 to #70,918.
What does the Census say about the background of Ihnat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ihnat, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Ihnat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (268 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ihnat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Ihnat (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 Ihnat mean?
A surname derived from a given name meaning "John" in Ukrainian. 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 Ihnat (0.10 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 Ihnat?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.