Find out how popular the last name Jonak is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jonak.

Jonak, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jonak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jonak in America

Jonak is the 69170th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jonak surname appeared 284 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jonak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jonak to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jonak

The surname Jonak is believed to have originated in Poland. It is derived from the Polish word "jonka," which means "small fish." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who worked as a fisherman or lived near a body of water where fishing was a common activity.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Jonak can be traced back to the 16th century in various Polish records and documents. One notable individual was Jan Jonak, a merchant from Krakow who was mentioned in a trade register from 1572.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in several historical records, including the birth and marriage records of the town of Poznan. One example is Tomasz Jonak, who was born in Poznan in 1649 and later became a respected craftsman.

The 18th century saw the emergence of a few notable figures with the surname Jonak. Katarzyna Jonak, born in 1712 in Wroclaw, was a renowned herbalist and midwife who authored a book on traditional Polish remedies.

The 19th century brought forth Jakub Jonak, a Polish soldier who fought in the November Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1830-1831. He was captured and exiled to Siberia, but his bravery and dedication to the cause of Polish independence earned him a place in the annals of Polish history.

In the early 20th century, Stanislaw Jonak (1892-1967) was a prominent Polish architect who designed several landmark buildings in Warsaw, including the National Library and the Palace of Culture and Science.

While the surname Jonak is primarily associated with Poland, it has also been found in other Slavic countries, such as Ukraine and Belarus. This suggests that the name may have spread beyond Poland's borders over the centuries, likely due to migration and population movements.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jonak

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jonak.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jonak was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jonak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jonak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jonak, please contact us.

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