2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ollek
A surname derived from the Hungarian given name Ollek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Ollek. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ollek 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Ollek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ollek, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ollek
The surname OLLEK originated in Germany during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "oll" meaning "all" or "complete," and the suffix "-ek" which was commonly used to form diminutive or patronymic surnames. The name may have initially referred to a person who possessed a particular trait or characteristic that was considered "complete" or "whole."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OLLEK can be found in the Bavarian town records of Landshut, dating back to the late 15th century. In these records, a merchant named Hans Ollek is mentioned as a prominent figure in the local trade guild.
During the 16th century, a family of OLLEK nobles resided in the region of Saxony, owning several estates and lands. Notable members include Friedrich Ollek (1512-1587), a knight and military commander who fought in the Schmalkaldic War, and his son, Wilhelm Ollek (1547-1619), a renowned scholar and author of several treatises on philosophy and theology.
In the 17th century, the name OLLEK appeared in the records of the German city of Nuremberg, where a family of clockmakers and artisans bearing this surname gained a reputation for their skilled craftsmanship. One of the most famous members was Johann Ollek (1628-1701), whose intricate and ornate clocks were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy patrons.
As the OLLEK name spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Olleck, Oelleck, and Ohleck. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the phonetic preferences of different scribes.
Notably, in the 19th century, a renowned German artist named Karl Ollek (1821-1896) gained recognition for his landscape paintings, capturing the beauty of the German countryside with vivid colors and meticulous detail. His works were exhibited in prestigious galleries across Europe and are still highly regarded by art collectors and historians.
Over the centuries, the OLLEK surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, tradesmen, and nobility. While its exact origins remain somewhat obscure, the name's longevity and presence across different regions of Germany attest to its enduring legacy and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ollek
Among Census respondents with the surname Ollek, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ollek 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 Ollek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 98
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ollek
Ollek appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 51 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 Ollek 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 | #149,446 | -0.0% |
| Count | 110 | 110 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ollek bearers went from 110 to 110 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #149,446.
FAQ
Ollek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ollek?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Ollek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Ollek?
Ollek ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Ollek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Ollek.
Has Ollek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ollek went from 110 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Ollek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ollek, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Ollek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ollek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Ollek (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 Ollek mean?
A surname derived from the Hungarian given name Ollek. 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 Ollek (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 common is the surname Ollek?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Ollek? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.