2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Myjak
A Ukrainian and Polish surname referring to a tollhouse keeper or toll collector.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Myjak. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Myjak 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Myjak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Myjak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Myjak
The surname MYJAK is believed to have originated in Poland in the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "myjak," which refers to a person who made or sold soap. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely soap makers or merchants involved in the soap trade.
MYJAK is thought to have first appeared in historical records in the city of Krakow, which was a major center of trade and commerce during the Renaissance period. Some of the earliest mentions of the name can be found in city registers and guild records from that time.
In the late 16th century, a man named Jan MYJAK is recorded as being a member of the soap makers' guild in Krakow. He is believed to be one of the first individuals to carry this surname.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the MYJAK name began to spread to other parts of Poland, as well as neighboring regions such as Silesia and Galicia. It can be found in various parish records and legal documents from that period.
One notable bearer of the MYJAK name was Tomasz MYJAK, who was born in the town of Tarnów in 1725. He was a successful merchant and landowner, and his family played a significant role in the local community.
Another individual of note was Katarzyna MYJAK, born in Krakow in 1801. She was a renowned philanthropist and patron of the arts, supporting various cultural institutions and charitable organizations throughout her life.
In the 19th century, the MYJAK surname continued to be well-represented in various regions of Poland. For example, in the 1840s, a man named Jan MYJAK was a respected teacher and headmaster in the city of Lublin.
During this time, some members of the MYJAK family also began to emigrate to other parts of Europe and the Americas, carrying the name with them. One such individual was Piotr MYJAK, who was born in Warsaw in 1871 and later settled in Chicago, USA, where he worked as a tailor.
Overall, the MYJAK surname has a rich history that can be traced back to its origins in the soap-making trade in 16th century Poland. While it may not be among the most common surnames today, it has been borne by numerous individuals throughout the centuries, many of whom played significant roles in their respective communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Myjak
Among Census respondents with the surname Myjak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Myjak 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 Myjak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 5
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Myjak
Myjak 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
-2 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,623 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-21 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,719 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 8,623 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 19,719 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 Myjak 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 | #121,590 | #141,309 | -16.2% |
| Count | 142 | 121 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Myjak bearers went from 142 to 121 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 19,719 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #141,309.
FAQ
Myjak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Myjak?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Myjak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Myjak?
Myjak ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Myjak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Myjak.
Has Myjak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Myjak went from 142 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 21 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Myjak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Myjak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Myjak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Myjak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Myjak (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 Myjak mean?
A Ukrainian and Polish surname referring to a tollhouse keeper or toll collector. 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 Myjak (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 Myjak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.