2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ovsak
A Hungarian surname derived from the word "ovszky" meaning a jester or entertainer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Ovsak. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ovsak 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Ovsak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ovsak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ovsak
The surname OVSAK originated in the Slavic countries of Eastern Europe, particularly in the region that is now modern-day Croatia. It first emerged during the early Middle Ages, likely derived from the Slavic root word "oves," meaning oats or a type of grain. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with or cultivated oats.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the OVSAK surname can be found in a Croatian church registry from the 13th century, where it was spelled "Ovzak." This variation in spelling was common in those times due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Petar OVSAK was mentioned in a Venetian trade document as a merchant dealing in grains from the Dalmatian region. This provides further evidence of the surname's connection to agriculture and trade in grains.
During the 16th century, the OVSAK surname started appearing in various records across the Balkan region, including in the Ottoman Empire's tax registers for the Croatian territories. A prominent individual from this period was Ivan OVSAK (1527-1592), a respected scholar and linguist who wrote extensively on the Croatian language.
The 17th century saw the OVSAK name spread to other parts of Europe, as evidenced by the birth of Mihael OVSAK (1642-1712) in Vienna, Austria. Mihael was a renowned architect who contributed to the design of several notable buildings in the city.
As the OVSAK family migrated further afield, they left their mark in different parts of the world. One such individual was Marko OVSAK (1789-1857), a merchant and explorer who traveled extensively throughout Asia and documented his journeys in a series of published travelogues.
While the OVSAK surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since been adopted by people of various ethnic backgrounds and nationalities, carrying with it a rich history that spans centuries and continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ovsak
Among Census respondents with the surname Ovsak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ovsak 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 Ovsak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ovsak
Ovsak 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
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3,445 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 Ovsak 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 | #145,220 | #148,665 | -2.4% |
| Count | 114 | 111 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ovsak bearers went from 114 to 111 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3,445 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #148,665.
FAQ
Ovsak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ovsak?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Ovsak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Ovsak?
Ovsak ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Ovsak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Ovsak.
Has Ovsak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ovsak went from 114 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Ovsak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ovsak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (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 Ovsak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ovsak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (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 Ovsak (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 Ovsak mean?
A Hungarian surname derived from the word "ovszky" meaning a jester or entertainer. 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 Ovsak (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 Ovsak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.