2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Monek
A surname potentially associated with monastic or religious affiliations.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Monek. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Monek 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Monek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Monek, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Monek
The surname "MONEK" can be traced back to the region of Central Europe, specifically the areas that are now part of Poland and Germany. It is believed to have originated in the 15th century and is derived from the Slavic word "moneta," which means "coin" or "money."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Polish town of Krakow, where a merchant named Jan Monek was listed in a trade register in 1487. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in trade, particularly in the minting or handling of coins.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records across Poland and Prussia. For instance, a man named Pawel Monek was mentioned in a legal document from the city of Gdansk in 1524, indicating the spread of the name beyond its presumed origins.
The surname also has connections to various place names in the region. For example, the village of Monekau in what is now western Poland may have derived its name from individuals bearing the Monek surname who lived there or owned land in the area.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Monek. One of the earliest was Jakub Monek, a Polish author and translator who lived in the late 16th century and was known for his translations of works from Latin and Greek into Polish.
Another prominent figure was Jan Monek, a Polish military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish War of the 17th century. He was known for his bravery and strategic skills on the battlefield.
In the 19th century, Franciszek Monek was a influential Polish educator and advocate for educational reform. He established several schools and worked tirelessly to improve the quality of education in his native country.
Turning to Germany, the name Monek can also be found in historical records, though its origins and meaning may have diverged slightly from its Slavic counterpart. In the 18th century, a family by the name of Monek resided in the city of Cologne, where they were involved in the textile trade.
Finally, it is worth noting that in the early 20th century, a Polish-American artist named Ignacy Monek achieved recognition for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from his native country, as well as from his adopted home in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Monek
Among Census respondents with the surname Monek, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Monek 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 Monek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Monek
Monek 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,654 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+9 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,607 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,654 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 6,607 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 Monek 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 | #149,395 | #142,788 | 4.4% |
| Count | 110 | 119 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Monek bearers went from 110 to 119 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 6,607 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #142,788.
FAQ
Monek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Monek?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Monek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Monek?
Monek ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Monek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Monek.
Has Monek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Monek went from 110 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 9 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Monek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Monek, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Monek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Monek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Monek (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 Monek mean?
A surname potentially associated with monastic or religious affiliations. 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 Monek (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 have the surname Monek?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.