2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mishak
An Arabic surname meaning "comb-maker" or "comb-seller".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Mishak. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mishak 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Mishak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mishak, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mishak
The surname Mishak has its origins in the Slavic countries of Eastern Europe, with its roots dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Slavic word "mish," which means "bear." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been hunters or individuals associated with bears in some way.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mishak can be found in the Galician-Volhynian Chronicles, a medieval manuscript that chronicles the history of the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia, a region that is now part of modern-day Ukraine and Poland. The chronicles mention a nobleman named Mishak, who was a prominent figure in the court of Prince Daniil Romanovich in the early 13th century.
As the name spread throughout Eastern Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Mishchak, Miszczak, and Miszak. These variations can be found in historical records from different regions, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the Slavic languages.
One notable individual bearing the Mishak surname was Yuriy Mishak, a Ukrainian Cossack leader who played a significant role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule in the 17th century. He was born around 1610 and was known for his military prowess and leadership during the conflict.
Another historical figure with this surname was Stanislav Mishak, a Polish painter and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was renowned for his religious artworks and his contributions to the development of the Polish Renaissance art style.
In the realm of literature, Pavlo Mishak was a renowned Ukrainian writer and poet of the late 19th century. He was born in 1856 and is remembered for his lyrical works that celebrated Ukrainian culture and identity.
The Mishak surname can also be traced to certain place names in Eastern Europe. For example, the village of Miszaki in modern-day Poland may have influenced the spelling and spread of the name in that region.
It is worth noting that while the surname Mishak has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and intermarriage, with bearers of this name found in various countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mishak
Among Census respondents with the surname Mishak, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mishak 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 Mishak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mishak
Mishak 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+7 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,605 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-19 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 2,605 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 17,887 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 Mishak 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 | #133,048 | #150,935 | -13.4% |
| Count | 127 | 108 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mishak bearers went from 127 to 108 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 17,887 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #150,935.
FAQ
Mishak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mishak?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Mishak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Mishak?
Mishak ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Mishak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Mishak.
Has Mishak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mishak went from 127 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Mishak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mishak, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Mishak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mishak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Mishak (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 Mishak mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "comb-maker" or "comb-seller". 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 Mishak (0.04 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 Mishak?
You can see how many people are called Mishak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.