2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Panak
A surname derived from the Slovak word "panak," meaning a shepherd or farm worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Panak. 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 Panak 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 Panak 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 Panak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Panak
The surname Panak has its origins in Poland, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Polish word "pan," which means "lord" or "master," and the diminutive suffix "-ak," indicating a small or diminished form. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked for or was associated with a lord or nobleman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Panak can be found in a medieval document from the Duchy of Silesia, dated around 1250. This document mentions a certain Jakub Panak, who was a landowner in the village of Strzelce. The name also appears in various other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as tax records and property deeds from various regions of Poland.
In the 15th century, there is a reference to a Jan Panak, a merchant from the city of Krakow, who was involved in trade with the Hanseatic League. Another notable bearer of the name was Mikołaj Panak, a Polish soldier who fought in the Battle of Grunwald against the Teutonic Knights in 1410.
During the Renaissance period, the name Panak was associated with several scholars and writers. One such figure was Andrzej Panak (1525-1594), a humanist and poet who studied at the University of Krakow and later became a tutor to the children of wealthy families.
In the 17th century, the Panak surname spread to other parts of Europe, particularly to Germany and the Czech lands. A notable bearer of the name from this era was Jan Panak (1638-1712), a Czech mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion.
As the centuries passed, the Panak surname continued to be found throughout various regions of Eastern and Central Europe. Some other notable individuals with this surname include Józef Panak (1796-1870), a Polish painter and art teacher; Karolina Panak (1871-1943), a Polish-American author and activist; and Tadeusz Panak (1904-1982), a Polish-born architect who designed several notable buildings in the United States.
Throughout its history, the Panak surname has maintained a strong presence in its homeland of Poland, as well as in neighboring countries with significant Polish communities. Despite its humble origins, the name has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and professionals, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who have carried this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Panak
Among Census respondents with the surname Panak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Panak 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 Panak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Panak
Panak 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,391 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 3,391 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,218 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 Panak 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 | #139,228 | #149,446 | -7.3% |
| Count | 120 | 110 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Panak bearers went from 120 to 110 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #149,446.
FAQ
Panak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Panak?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Panak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Panak?
Panak 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 Panak. 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 Panak.
Has Panak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Panak went from 120 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Panak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Panak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Panak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Panak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Panak (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 Panak mean?
A surname derived from the Slovak word "panak," meaning a shepherd or farm worker. 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 Panak (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 Panak?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Panak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.