2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kokernak
A bastardized version of the Dutch surname "Kokernak," referring to someone from the town of Kokernak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kokernak. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kokernak 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Kokernak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kokernak, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kokernak
The surname Kokernak has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Bohemian region, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. The name is thought to be derived from the Czech word "kokrhat," which means "to crow" or "to strut like a rooster," suggesting that it may have been a nickname given to an ancestor who had a strutting or boastful manner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kokernak can be found in a manuscript from the town of Kutná Hora, dated 1498. The document mentions a certain Jan Kokernak, who was a merchant and landowner in the region. This suggests that the name was already established and associated with a certain level of social standing by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in records from the city of Prague, where a family of Kokernaks was known to reside. One notable member of this family was Vaclav Kokernak, a prominent goldsmith who lived between 1520 and 1589. His intricate metalwork pieces were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.
During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), a military commander named Jakub Kokernak is mentioned in historical accounts. He served in the Protestant forces fighting against the Catholic Habsburg monarchy. Jakub Kokernak was known for his bravery and strategic skills on the battlefield, leading his troops to several victories.
In the 18th century, a renowned scholar and linguist named Frantisek Kokernak (1720-1792) made significant contributions to the study of Slavic languages. His work on the grammar and etymology of Czech and other Slavic tongues laid the foundation for future research in the field.
Another notable figure with the surname Kokernak was the artist and painter Josef Kokernak (1835-1899). Born in Prague, he was part of the Romantic movement and is best known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Bohemia. Many of his works can be found in galleries and museums across the Czech Republic.
While the surname Kokernak may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Czech lands, where it has been a part of the cultural and historical fabric for over 500 years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kokernak
Among Census respondents with the surname Kokernak, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kokernak 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 Kokernak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 106
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kokernak
Kokernak 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,263 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,263 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 11,505 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 Kokernak 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 | #136,449 | #147,954 | -8.4% |
| Count | 123 | 112 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kokernak bearers went from 123 to 112 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 11,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kokernak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kokernak?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kokernak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kokernak?
Kokernak ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Kokernak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Kokernak.
Has Kokernak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kokernak went from 123 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kokernak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kokernak, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Kokernak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kokernak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (1.8%). 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 Kokernak (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 Kokernak mean?
A bastardized version of the Dutch surname "Kokernak," referring to someone from the town of Kokernak. 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 Kokernak (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 Americans have the surname Kokernak?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.