2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jastrab
A surname derived from the Polish word for "hawk" or "falcon".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 146 Americans carry the last name Jastrab. That puts it at #136,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,347,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jastrab 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
146
1 in 2,347,632
Census rank
#136,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
127
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 127 bearers of the surname Jastrab in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jastrab, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jastrab
The surname Jastrab has its origins in Poland, with roots dating back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Polish word "jastrzab," which means "hawk" or "falcon." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who had a keen eye or was associated with falconry.
In the early 1400s, the name Jastrab appeared in several Polish village records, particularly in the regions of Mazovia and Greater Poland. Variations of the spelling included Jastrzab, Jastrzeb, and Jastrzemb.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1438, a man named Jan Jastrab was mentioned in a document related to land ownership near the town of Płock.
During the 16th century, the Jastrab name gained prominence with the rise of a noble family from Krakow. Mikołaj Jastrab (1490-1561) was a respected jurist and served as a judge in the royal court of King Sigismund I the Old.
Another notable figure was Jerzy Jastrab (1635-1698), a Polish military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars and the Great Northern War. He was renowned for his bravery and tactical skills on the battlefield.
In the 18th century, the Jastrab surname was associated with the village of Jastrzębie in Silesia, now part of modern-day Poland. This suggests a possible connection between the name and a place named after the bird of prey.
The name also appeared in other parts of Europe, such as the Czech lands and Slovakia, where it was spelled as Jastrab or Jastřáb.
One notable Czech bearer of the name was Václav Jastřáb (1803-1847), a writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Czech National Revival movement.
As the centuries passed, the Jastrab name continued to be carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and military personnel. Some examples include Maksymilian Jastrab (1870-1933), a Polish painter and illustrator, and Wiktor Jastrab (1908-1982), a Polish soldier and fighter pilot during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jastrab
Among Census respondents with the surname Jastrab, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Jastrab 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 Jastrab surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.7% · 6
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jastrab
Jastrab 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 791 places
2020
#136,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+13 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 791 places |
| 2020 | #136,807 | 127 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 8,413 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 Jastrab 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 | #145,220 | #136,807 | 5.8% |
| Count | 114 | 127 | 11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jastrab bearers went from 114 to 127 (+11.4% change). The surname moved up 8,413 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #136,807.
FAQ
Jastrab surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jastrab?
Name Census estimates that about 146 living Americans carry the surname Jastrab. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,347,632 residents.
How common is Jastrab?
Jastrab ranks #136,807 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 127 people with the surname Jastrab. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (146), 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 Jastrab.
Has Jastrab become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jastrab went from 114 recorded bearers to 127. That is an increase of 13 (+11.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #136,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Jastrab?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jastrab, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%). 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 Jastrab in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jastrab appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (5.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%). 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 Jastrab (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 Jastrab mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word for "hawk" or "falcon". 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 Jastrab (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 are called Jastrab?
See how many people have the last name Jastrab on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.