2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Obusek
A surname possibly derived from a geographical location or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Obusek. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Obusek 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Obusek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Obusek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Obusek
The surname OBUSEK is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "obuch," which means a hammer or mallet used by blacksmiths and metalworkers. The name likely originated in the region of Silesia, which was historically part of Poland and now spans parts of southwestern Poland, eastern Germany, and the Czech Republic.
OBUSEK is believed to have been an occupational surname, initially given to individuals or families involved in metalworking trades such as blacksmithing, armory, or tool-making. The addition of the suffix "-ek" to the root word "obuch" was a common practice in Polish surname formation, often indicating a diminutive or patronymic form.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the OBUSEK surname appears in the parish records of the town of Bielsko-Biała, located in modern-day southern Poland, in the late 1500s. The name is also found in various historical documents from the region, including tax records and land registers from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Notable individuals bearing the OBUSEK surname include Jan Obusek (1532-1598), a renowned blacksmith and armorer from the town of Opole, whose intricate metalwork was highly sought after by Polish nobility. Tomasz Obusek (1683-1745) was a skilled toolmaker and inventor from Wrocław, credited with developing several innovative metalworking techniques.
Marta Obusek (1795-1872) was a Polish patriot and revolutionary who participated in the November Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1830-1831. Her brother, Franciszek Obusek (1801-1876), was a respected lawyer and judge in the city of Kraków.
Another notable figure was Józef Obusek (1857-1932), a prominent architect and urban planner who designed several iconic buildings in Warsaw, including the Warsaw Philharmonic and the Zachęta National Gallery of Art.
While the OBUSEK surname has its roots in metalworking trades, over time it has become more widely dispersed, with families bearing this name found throughout Poland and other parts of Europe. However, its origins can be traced back to the skilled craftsmen and artisans of 16th-century Silesia, who likely adopted this occupational surname as a reflection of their profession and expertise in working with hammers and metalsmithing tools.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obusek
Among Census respondents with the surname Obusek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Obusek 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 Obusek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 7
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Obusek
Obusek 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-9 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,404 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-13 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,481 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 17,404 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 9,481 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 Obusek 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 | #146,201 | #155,682 | -6.5% |
| Count | 113 | 100 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Obusek bearers went from 113 to 100 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 9,481 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #155,682.
FAQ
Obusek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Obusek?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Obusek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Obusek?
Obusek ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Obusek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Obusek.
Has Obusek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Obusek went from 113 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Obusek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Obusek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Obusek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Obusek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Obusek (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 Obusek mean?
A surname possibly derived from a geographical location or place name. 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 Obusek (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 are called Obusek?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Obusek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.