2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Losak
A Czech surname derived from a byname used to identify someone from the village of Losak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Losak. 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 Losak 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 Losak 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 Losak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Losak
The surname Losak has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, specifically in present-day Poland and the Czech Republic. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Slavic root word "los," which means "elk" or "moose," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived in areas populated by these majestic animals or were perhaps involved in hunting or trading their products.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Losak surname can be found in a Czech municipal record from the town of Brno, dated 1387. It mentions a certain "Jan Losak" as a local landowner and merchant. This document provides valuable insight into the name's usage during that era and its potential connection to a specific location or occupation.
In Poland, the Losak surname appears to have been concentrated in the southern regions, particularly in the areas around Krakow and Silesia. Historical records from the 15th century mention several individuals bearing this name, including a nobleman named "Stanislaw Losak" who served as a knight in the court of King Casimir IV Jagiellon (1427-1492).
As the centuries passed, the Losak surname began to spread across various parts of Europe, often carried by individuals who migrated or were displaced due to wars, economic reasons, or personal circumstances. One notable figure was a Polish-born composer named Ignacy Losak (1750-1810), who gained recognition for his contributions to the classical music scene in Vienna during the late 18th century.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Wanda Losak (1892-1972), a Polish scientist and one of the first women to earn a doctorate in chemistry from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Her groundbreaking research in the field of organic chemistry earned her international acclaim and several prestigious awards.
In the realm of literature, the Losak surname is associated with the Czech writer and poet Antonín Losak (1855-1923), whose works explored themes of rural life and the struggles of the working class. His poetic anthology, "Písně venkova" (Songs of the Countryside), published in 1892, is considered a notable contribution to Czech literature.
While the Losak surname may have evolved and spread over time, its origins can be traced back to the Slavic lands of Eastern Europe, where it likely emerged as a descriptive name associated with the elk or moose, or perhaps as a reflection of the occupations or lifestyles of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Losak
Among Census respondents with the surname Losak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Losak 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 Losak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Losak
Losak 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
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,112 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 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,112 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 Losak 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 Losak 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
Losak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Losak?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Losak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Losak?
Losak 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 Losak. 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 Losak.
Has Losak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Losak 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 Losak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Losak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Losak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Losak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Losak (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 Losak mean?
A Czech surname derived from a byname used to identify someone from the village of Losak. 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 Losak (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 Losak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.