2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Oravsky
A surname of Slovak origin, possibly derived from the place name Orava or meaning "from Orava".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Oravsky. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oravsky 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Oravsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oravsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oravsky
The surname ORAVSKY originated in the region of Orava, a historical area located in northern Slovakia and southern Poland. The name likely dates back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century, when surnames began to emerge in that part of Europe.
The word "Oravsky" is derived from the Slovak and Polish word "Orava," which refers to the Orava region. It was a common practice for people to adopt surnames based on the places they were from or associated with. In this case, the surname ORAVSKY would have been given to individuals who hailed from or had ties to the Orava area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ORAVSKY can be found in a document from the 15th century, which mentions a certain Ján Oravsky, a landowner in the village of Lokca, located in the Orava region. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 16th century, the surname ORAVSKY appeared in various historical records, such as court documents and land registers, primarily in the Orava region and surrounding areas. For example, a man named Michal Oravsky was mentioned in a legal document from 1567, relating to a property dispute in the town of Trst√ľn√°.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the ORAVSKY surname continued to be prominent in the Orava region, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Juraj Oravsky (1671-1742), a prominent scholar and teacher who served as the rector of the Evangelical College in Kež⭘arok, a town near the Orava region.
In the 19th century, the surname ORAVSKY spread beyond the Orava region as people migrated to other parts of Europe and even to other continents. One notable figure from this period was Andrej Oravsky (1822-1891), a Slovak writer and poet who was born in the village of Sihelné, in the Orava region.
Another individual worth mentioning is Ján Oravsky (1866-1934), a Slovak politician and lawyer who played a significant role in the struggle for Slovak autonomy within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was born in the town of Námestovo, located in the heart of the Orava region.
In the 20th century, the ORAVSKY surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions. One example is Karol Oravsky (1910-1992), a Slovak painter and illustrator known for his works depicting the landscapes and traditional life of the Orava region.
While the surname ORAVSKY has its roots in the Orava region of Slovakia and Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins remain firmly tied to the historical and cultural heritage of the Orava area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oravsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Oravsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Oravsky 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 Oravsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
- Two or more races2.1% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oravsky
Oravsky 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+13 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,103 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-18 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 4,103 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 12,308 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 Oravsky 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 | #144,141 | #156,449 | -8.5% |
| Count | 115 | 97 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oravsky bearers went from 115 to 97 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 12,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #156,449.
FAQ
Oravsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oravsky?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Oravsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Oravsky?
Oravsky ranks #156,449 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 97 people with the surname Oravsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), 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 Oravsky.
Has Oravsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oravsky went from 115 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 18 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Oravsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oravsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Oravsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oravsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (2.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Oravsky (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 Oravsky mean?
A surname of Slovak origin, possibly derived from the place name Orava or meaning "from Orava". 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 Oravsky (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 Oravsky?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Oravsky on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.