2000
#9,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,996
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Panek
A Polish occupational surname derived from the word "pan," meaning "lord" or "master."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,295 Americans carry the last name Panek. That puts it at #10,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,023 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Panek 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Panek with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,023
Census rank
#10,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,873 bearers of the surname Panek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Panek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Panek
The surname Panek is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Polish word "pan," which means "lord" or "master." This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who held a position of authority or was considered a respected member of the community.
The Panek name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Mazovia, Greater Poland, and Silesia, which were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from these areas, such as parish records and land registries.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Panek was Jan Panek, a Polish nobleman and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. He was mentioned in several legal documents from the town of Płock, where he owned substantial property.
In the 16th century, the Panek name appeared in the Metryka Koronna, an important collection of official documents from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable entry is Marcin Panek, a prominent merchant and burgher from the city of Kraków, who was born around 1520.
Another famous bearer of the Panek surname was Stanisław Panek, a Polish theologian and philosopher who lived from 1510 to 1589. He was a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and was known for his contributions to the field of logic and moral philosophy.
During the 17th century, the Panek name was found in various town and village records throughout Poland. One notable example is Andrzej Panek, a landowner and farmer from the village of Wola Rzędzińska, near Tarnów. He was mentioned in a land dispute document dated 1624.
In the 18th century, the Panek surname spread to other parts of Europe as Polish migrants and settlers moved to different regions. For example, there are records of Panek families living in the Silesian region of Prussia (now part of Germany) during this time.
Throughout history, the Panek name has been spelled in various ways, including Paniek, Paneck, and Paneik, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, tracing back to its Polish roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Panek
Among Census respondents with the surname Panek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Panek 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 Panek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,693
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 95
- Two or more races1.8% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Panek
Panek 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
#10,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,032
+36 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 638 places
2020
#10,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,873
-159 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,934 | 2,996 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,572 | 3,032 | 1.03 | +36 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 638 places |
| 2020 | #10,631 | 2,873 | 0.96 | -159 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 59 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 Panek 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 | #10,572 | #10,631 | -0.6% |
| Count | 3,032 | 2,873 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.96 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Panek bearers went from 3,032 to 2,873 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,572 to #10,631.
FAQ
Panek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Panek?
Name Census estimates that about 3,295 living Americans carry the surname Panek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,023 residents.
How common is Panek?
Panek ranks #10,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,873 people with the surname Panek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Panek.
Has Panek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Panek went from 3,032 recorded bearers to 2,873. That is a decrease of 159 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,572 to #10,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Panek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Panek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Panek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Panek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Panek (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 Panek mean?
A Polish occupational surname derived from the word "pan," meaning "lord" or "master." 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 Panek (0.96 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 Panek?
Want to know how many people have the surname Panek? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.