2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Levak
A topographic surname derived from a Slavic word meaning "left-handed person".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Levak. 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 Levak 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 Levak 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 Levak, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Levak
The surname Levak is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in present-day Croatia and Serbia. It is thought to be derived from the Slavic word "lev," meaning "lion." This suggests that the name may have been associated with physical strength or bravery, or perhaps a person's appearance or personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Levak can be found in Croatian historical documents dating back to the 16th century. It is likely that the name was used in various regions of the former Yugoslavia, including Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, and Montenegro.
In the 17th century, there are records of a notable individual named Ivan Levak, who was a prominent landowner and nobleman in the region of Dalmatia, located along the Adriatic coast of present-day Croatia. He was born in 1623 and lived until 1689.
During the 18th century, the Levak surname appeared in several ecclesiastical records and parish registers in the Slavic regions. One notable bearer of the name was Marko Levak, a Catholic priest and scholar who lived from 1742 to 1811 and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 19th century, the Levak name gained some prominence in the field of education. A notable figure was Petar Levak, born in 1825 and died in 1898, who was a respected teacher and headmaster in the city of Zagreb, Croatia.
Another individual of note was Mihailo Levak, born in 1864 and died in 1935, who was a Serbian politician and diplomat. He served as a member of the Serbian parliament and was involved in negotiations during the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later renamed Yugoslavia) after World War I.
While the surname Levak is not among the most common surnames in the region, it has a long and varied history, with bearers of the name having made contributions in various fields, including landholding, religion, education, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Levak
Among Census respondents with the surname Levak, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Levak 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 Levak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Two or more races6.9% · 7
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Levak
Levak 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-10 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,086 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 19,086 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,303 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 Levak 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 | #150,452 | #154,755 | -2.9% |
| Count | 109 | 102 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Levak bearers went from 109 to 102 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,755.
FAQ
Levak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Levak?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Levak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Levak?
Levak 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 Levak. 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 Levak.
Has Levak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Levak went from 109 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Levak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Levak, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Black (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 Levak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Levak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (6.9%), Black (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 Levak (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 Levak mean?
A topographic surname derived from a Slavic word meaning "left-handed person". 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 Levak (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 common is the surname Levak?
Want to know how many people are called Levak? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.