2000
#89,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 193
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Medak
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Medak in India.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 206 Americans carry the last name Medak. That puts it at #105,671 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,663,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Medak 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
206
1 in 1,663,856
Census rank
#105,671
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
180
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 180 bearers of the surname Medak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 105671st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Medak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Medak
The surname Medak originates from the Czech Republic, with its earliest known instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Czech word "medák," which means "honey-colored" or "honey-like," potentially referring to either a physical characteristic or a profession associated with beekeeping or honey production.
Medak is thought to have emerged as a surname in the region of Bohemia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia within the Holy Roman Empire. The name can be found in historical records from this area, including church registers and local chronicles.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname Medak comes from a 1567 census record in the town of Zámrsk, where a family with the surname is listed as residents. Another notable early mention is in a 1592 land registry from the town of Jihlava, where a Jakub Medak is recorded as a landowner.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various documents from the region, such as marriage records and court proceedings. For instance, a Jan Medak is mentioned in a 1642 court case in the town of Čáslav, while a Dorota Medaková is listed in the marriage records of the village of Libice nad Cidlinou in 1671.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Medak was Václav Medak, a beekeeper and landowner who lived in the village of Žlunice in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Matěj Medak, a merchant and trader from the town of Kutná Hora, who was active in the early 17th century.
Over the centuries, the surname Medak has been found in various spellings, such as Medák, Medaček, and Medačka, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes. Additionally, some individuals with the surname have been associated with place names like Medakov or Medakovice, suggesting a possible connection to specific localities within the Czech lands.
Other notable individuals with the surname Medak include:
1. Jaroslav Medak (1901-1977), a Czech painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraits.
2. Miroslav Medak (1926-1993), a Czech actor and theater director who performed with the National Theatre in Prague.
3. Jindřich Medak (1914-1990), a Czech writer and translator who specialized in science fiction and fantasy literature.
4. Zdeňka Medaková (1923-2015), a Czech gymnast who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
5. Petr Medak (born 1976), a contemporary Czech artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public installations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Medak
Among Census respondents with the surname Medak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Medak 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 Medak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Medak
Medak 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
#93,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 196
+3 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 4,341 places
2020
#105,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
-16 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 12,158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #89,172 | 193 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #93,513 | 196 | 0.07 | +3 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 4,341 places |
| 2020 | #105,671 | 180 | 0.06 | -16 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 12,158 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 Medak 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 | #93,513 | #105,671 | -13.0% |
| Count | 196 | 180 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -14.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Medak bearers went from 196 to 180 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 12,158 positions in the national ranking, going from #93,513 to #105,671.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Medak
FAQ
Medak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Medak?
Name Census estimates that about 206 living Americans carry the surname Medak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,663,856 residents.
How common is Medak?
Medak ranks #105,671 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 180 people with the surname Medak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (206), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Medak.
Has Medak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Medak went from 196 recorded bearers to 180. That is a decrease of 16 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #93,513 to #105,671.
What does the Census say about the background of Medak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Medak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Medak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Medak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (6.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Medak (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 Medak mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Medak in India. 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 Medak (0.06 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 Medak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.