2000
#8,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,678
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Kwak
A Polish and Korean surname derived from the sound a duck makes, often indicating an ancestor who raised ducks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,471 Americans carry the last name Kwak. That puts it at #6,801 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,649 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kwak 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
5.5K
1 in 62,649
Census rank
#6,801
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,771 bearers of the surname Kwak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6801st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwak, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kwak
The surname KWAK is of Dutch origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the provinces of Holland and Utrecht, where it was initially spelled as "Quack" or "Quacke." The name is derived from the Dutch word "kwak," which refers to a type of small waterfowl or a quacking sound made by ducks.
In the earliest records, the surname KWAK was often associated with occupations related to hunting or dealing with waterfowl. It is possible that some of the first bearers of this name were involved in activities such as fowling, selling poultry, or even duck breeding.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KWAK surname can be found in the Rotterdam archives, where a certain Adriaen Quintijnsz Quack was mentioned in 1589. Another notable early reference is the baptismal record of Leendert Jansz Quack, born in Amsterdam in 1612.
As the name spread across the Netherlands and beyond, various spellings emerged, including Kwakkelstein, Kwakkenbos, and Kwakman. Some of these variations incorporated elements of place names or occupational descriptions.
Among the notable historical figures with the KWAK surname, one can mention:
1. Jan Kwak (1592-1672), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his genre scenes and portraits.
2. Pieter Kwak (1666-1728), a Dutch writer and poet who published several works in the 18th century.
3. Gerrit Kwak (1819-1904), a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Dutch Parliament.
4. Willem Kwak (1854-1932), a Dutch-American businessman and brewer who founded the Kwak Brewery in Ghent, Belgium.
5. Jacobus Kwak (1901-1985), a Dutch-American abstract expressionist painter and sculptor who was part of the New York avant-garde art scene.
Throughout its history, the KWAK surname has maintained its connection to Dutch culture and heritage, while also spreading to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kwak
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwak, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kwak 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 Kwak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander84.5% · 4,031
- White13.2% · 631
- Two or more races1.7% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 21
- Black or African American0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kwak
Kwak 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
#7,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,652
+974 bearers (+26.5%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 1,095 places
2020
#6,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,771
+119 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 383 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,279 | 3,678 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,184 | 4,652 | 1.58 | +974 bearers (+26.5%) | Up 1,095 places |
| 2020 | #6,801 | 4,771 | 1.60 | +119 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 383 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 Kwak 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 | #7,184 | #6,801 | 5.3% |
| Count | 4,652 | 4,771 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.60 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kwak bearers went from 4,652 to 4,771 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 383 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,184 to #6,801.
FAQ
Kwak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kwak?
Name Census estimates that about 5,471 living Americans carry the surname Kwak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,649 residents.
How common is Kwak?
Kwak ranks #6,801 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,771 people with the surname Kwak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,471), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kwak.
Has Kwak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kwak went from 4,652 recorded bearers to 4,771. That is an increase of 119 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,184 to #6,801.
What does the Census say about the background of Kwak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwak, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kwak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (4,031 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kwak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (84.5%), White (13.2%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Kwak (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 Kwak mean?
A Polish and Korean surname derived from the sound a duck makes, often indicating an ancestor who raised ducks. 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 Kwak (1.60 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 Kwak?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.