2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pietrak
A Polish surname derived from the personal name Piotr (Peter).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Pietrak. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pietrak 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Pietrak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pietrak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pietrak
The surname Pietrak is of Polish origin, originating from the region of Silesia in southwestern Poland. It can be traced back to the 16th century when it was derived from the personal name "Piotr," which is the Polish equivalent of the name Peter.
The name Pietrak likely originated as a diminutive form of Piotr, with the suffix "-ak" indicating a smaller or younger version. This naming convention was common in Poland and other Slavic countries, where surnames often evolved from personal names or nicknames.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pietrak can be found in the Liber Beneficiorum, a historical record of land ownership and benefices in the Archdiocese of Gniezno, dating back to the late 15th century. This document mentions a "Pietrak de Gostynin," suggesting the name was present in the town of Gostynin at that time.
In the 17th century, the name Pietrak appeared in various parish records and court documents across Silesia and neighboring regions. For instance, a Jan Pietrak was recorded as a landowner in the village of Zielona Góra in 1612, while a Marcin Pietrak was listed as a merchant in the town of Opole in 1658.
One notable figure with the surname Pietrak was Franciszek Pietrak (1786-1853), a Polish priest and editor who played a significant role in the development of Polish literature during the Romantic period. He founded and edited the literary journal "Przyjaciel Ludu" (Friend of the People), which aimed to promote education and cultural awareness among the Polish population.
Another individual of historical importance was Wincenty Pietrak (1871-1945), a Polish architect and urban planner who designed numerous residential and public buildings in the city of Lodz during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works, characterized by a blend of Art Nouveau and Neo-Renaissance styles, contributed significantly to the architectural heritage of the city.
In the 20th century, Stanisław Pietrak (1910-1992) gained recognition as a Polish military officer and politician. He served in the Polish resistance during World War II and later became a member of the Polish parliament, representing the Polish United Workers' Party.
Additionally, the name Pietrak has been associated with several notable athletes, including Jerzy Pietrak (born 1950), a former Polish football player who represented the national team in the 1970s, and Tomasz Pietrak (born 1974), a Polish boxer who won a bronze medal in the lightweight division at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pietrak
Among Census respondents with the surname Pietrak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pietrak 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 Pietrak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 93
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pietrak
Pietrak 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+10 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 991 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-10 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,502 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 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 991 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 7,502 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 Pietrak 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 | #147,253 | #154,755 | -5.1% |
| Count | 112 | 102 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pietrak bearers went from 112 to 102 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 7,502 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #154,755.
FAQ
Pietrak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pietrak?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Pietrak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Pietrak?
Pietrak ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Pietrak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Pietrak.
Has Pietrak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pietrak went from 112 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Pietrak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pietrak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Pietrak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pietrak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Pietrak (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 Pietrak mean?
A Polish surname derived from the personal name Piotr (Peter). 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 Pietrak (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 have the surname Pietrak?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.