2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kratka
A surname likely of Polish origin meaning "short" or "brief".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Kratka. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kratka 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Kratka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kratka, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kratka
The surname Kratka has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in the areas that are now parts of Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The name is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century, derived from the Slavic word "kratki," which means "short" or "brief."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kratka surname dates back to the 15th century, where it appears in a Polish tax record from the town of Krakow. This suggests that the name may have originated in or around this region, possibly referring to someone of short stature or someone who resided in a particular area known as "Kratka."
In the 16th century, the Kratka name can be found in various historical documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. One notable figure was Jan Kratka, a merchant and landowner who lived in Prague during the late 1500s.
As the Kratka family spread across different regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Kratky, Kratkij, and Krátký. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and linguistic variations within the Slavic languages.
In the 17th century, a Kratka family was documented in the village of Velká Bystřice, located in the modern-day Czech Republic. This branch of the family is believed to have been involved in agriculture and land ownership.
During the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the Kratka surname was Jozef Kratka (1822-1891), a Slovak writer and poet who played a significant role in the Slovak national revival movement. His works contributed to the preservation and promotion of Slovak language and culture.
Another individual of historical significance was Antonín Kratka (1857-1925), a Czech architect and academic who designed several prominent buildings in Prague, including the Neo-Renaissance style Rudolfinum concert hall.
Throughout the centuries, the Kratka surname has been carried by individuals from various professions, including scholars, artists, and tradesmen. While the name may have originated as a descriptor of physical stature or location, it has evolved into a proud surname with a rich heritage rooted in the Slavic cultures of Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kratka
Among Census respondents with the surname Kratka, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kratka 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 Kratka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kratka
Kratka 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+9 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 330 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-14 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,606 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 330 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 11,606 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 Kratka 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 | #143,149 | #154,755 | -8.1% |
| Count | 116 | 102 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kratka bearers went from 116 to 102 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 11,606 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #154,755.
FAQ
Kratka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kratka?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Kratka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Kratka?
Kratka ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Kratka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kratka.
Has Kratka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kratka went from 116 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Kratka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kratka, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Kratka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kratka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Kratka (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 Kratka mean?
A surname likely of Polish origin meaning "short" or "brief". 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 Kratka (0.03 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 Kratka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.