2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kresak
A surname indicating a person from the village of Kresak or a resident of Kresak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Kresak. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kresak 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Kresak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kresak, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kresak
The surname Kresak originated in Slovakia and its roots can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Slavic word "kresati," which means "to ignite" or "to strike fire." This suggests that the name may have originated from a family or individual involved in the occupation of fire-making or blacksmithing.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Kresak can be found in historical documents from the medieval period in the regions of central and eastern Slovakia. The name appears in various spellings, such as Kresak, Kresaczek, and Kresaczyk, reflecting the regional variations and phonetic adaptations over time.
One of the earliest known references to the Kresak surname is found in a registry of landowners from the village of Dobra Voda, located in the Banska Bystrica region of Slovakia, dating back to the late 15th century. This document mentions a certain Jan Kresak, who owned a modest parcel of land in the village.
In the 16th century, the Kresak surname appears in several ecclesiastical records from the towns of Brezno and Hrinova in central Slovakia. These records document the births, marriages, and deaths of members of the Kresak family, providing insights into their social standing and occupations within the local community.
A notable figure bearing the Kresak surname was Stefan Kresak (1569-1632), a respected blacksmith and craftsman from the town of Banska Stiavnica. His intricate ironwork adorned several churches and public buildings in the region, and his skills were highly sought after by the local nobility.
Another individual of historical significance was Juraj Kresak (1709-1782), a scholar and educator from the village of Dubravica. He authored several treatises on mathematics and astronomy, which were widely circulated among the intellectual circles of the time.
In the 19th century, the Kresak surname gained further prominence with the birth of Ludovit Kresak (1835-1901), a prominent lawyer and political activist from the city of Banska Bystrica. He played a crucial role in the Slovak national revival movement and advocated for the rights of the Slovak people within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The name Kresak has also been associated with several notable individuals in the field of astronomy. One such figure was Lubor Kresak (1927-1994), a renowned astronomer from Slovakia who made significant contributions to the study of comets and asteroids. His research and publications earned him international recognition in the scientific community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kresak
Among Census respondents with the surname Kresak, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Kresak 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 Kresak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 101
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kresak
Kresak 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,533 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 5,533 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 2,642 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 Kresak 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 | #152,628 | #155,270 | -1.7% |
| Count | 107 | 101 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kresak bearers went from 107 to 101 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 2,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #155,270.
FAQ
Kresak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kresak?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Kresak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Kresak?
Kresak ranks #155,270 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 101 people with the surname Kresak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Kresak.
Has Kresak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kresak went from 107 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kresak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kresak, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Kresak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kresak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Kresak (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 Kresak mean?
A surname indicating a person from the village of Kresak or a resident of Kresak. 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 Kresak (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 are called Kresak?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Kresak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.