2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jeka
A Croatian surname derived from the diminutive form of the given name Jakob.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Jeka. 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 Jeka 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 Jeka 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 Jeka, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jeka
The surname Jeka has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in countries like Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. It is believed to have derived from the Old Slavic word "jeka," which means "echo" or "resonance." This could suggest that the name was initially given to someone who had a distinctive voice or perhaps worked as a town crier or herald.
The earliest recorded instances of the Jeka surname can be traced back to the 16th century in various historical documents and parish records. One notable mention is found in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of official records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where a certain Jan Jeka is listed as a landowner in the region of Galicia in the year 1587.
In the 17th century, the Jeka surname appeared in the Tsar's Book of Nobility (Velvet Book), a registry of noble families in the Russian Empire. This suggests that some bearers of the name had attained a certain social status and recognition during that period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Jeka surname was Mikołaj Jeka, a Polish nobleman and military leader born in the late 16th century. He played a significant role in the Polish-Muscovite War of 1609-1618, serving as a cavalry commander under King Sigismund III Vasa.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the Jeka surname was Andrzej Jeka, a Polish mathematician and astronomer born in 1713. He made notable contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was a member of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences.
During the 19th century, the Jeka surname gained recognition in the Russian Empire. One notable bearer was Ivan Jeka, a Russian writer and poet born in 1845. He was known for his works depicting the lives of peasants and rural communities in Russia.
Another noteworthy individual was Tomasz Jeka, a Polish painter and artist born in 1878. He was renowned for his landscape paintings and was a member of the renowned "Munich School" of Polish artists.
As the Jeka surname spread across Eastern Europe, it also found its way to other regions through migration and resettlement. In the early 20th century, a branch of the Jeka family established themselves in the United States, where they contributed to various fields, including business, academia, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jeka
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeka, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Jeka 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 Jeka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jeka
Jeka 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+4 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,150 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,628 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 5,150 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 11,628 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 Jeka 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 | #135,593 | #147,221 | -8.6% |
| Count | 124 | 113 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jeka bearers went from 124 to 113 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 11,628 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #147,221.
FAQ
Jeka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jeka?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Jeka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Jeka?
Jeka 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 Jeka. 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 Jeka.
Has Jeka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jeka went from 124 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Jeka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeka, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Jeka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jeka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (5.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Jeka (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 Jeka mean?
A Croatian surname derived from the diminutive form of the given name Jakob. 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 Jeka (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 Jeka?
You can see how many people are called Jeka on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.