2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Plevyak
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "one who spits frequently or spitter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Plevyak. 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 Plevyak 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 Plevyak 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 Plevyak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plevyak
The surname PLEVYAK is believed to have originated in the eastern regions of Poland and western regions of Belarus during the late 15th century. It is derived from the Slavic word "pleva," which means "chaff" or "husk," and the suffix "-yak," which is a common Polish and Belarusian surname ending indicating occupation or association.
The earliest known record of the PLEVYAK surname dates back to 1492 in a land registry document from the town of Grodno, located in modern-day Belarus. This document mentions a farmer named Iwan Plevyak, who owned a small plot of land near the village of Skidzel.
In the 16th century, the PLEVYAK name appeared in several tax records and property deeds from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, particularly in the regions of Podlasie and Masovia. One notable example is a record from 1587 that mentions a merchant named Stanislaw Plevyak, who traded in grains and agricultural products in the city of Warsaw.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the PLEVYAK surname spread to other parts of Poland and the neighboring territories of Ukraine and Russia. In 1673, a military record from the Polish-Ottoman War mentions a soldier named Jakub Plevyak, who fought in the Battle of Khotyn.
The 19th century saw several prominent individuals bearing the PLEVYAK surname. One of them was Teodor Plevyak (1804-1878), a Polish writer and poet known for his romantic verses and patriotic works. Another notable figure was Katarzyna Plevyak (1832-1901), a Belarusian philanthropist and educator who founded several schools for underprivileged children.
In the early 20th century, the PLEVYAK surname was also found in various industries and professions. For instance, Stanislaw Plevyak (1871-1943) was a Polish architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Warsaw, including the Staszic Palace and the Philharmonic Hall.
Other notable individuals with the PLEVYAK surname include Wladyslaw Plevyak (1892-1972), a Polish politician and member of the Sejm (parliament) during the interwar period, and Andrzej Plevyak (1919-2005), a renowned Polish linguist and expert in Slavic languages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plevyak
Among Census respondents with the surname Plevyak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Plevyak 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 Plevyak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 101
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plevyak
Plevyak 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
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,512 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,512 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,193 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 Plevyak 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 | #149,446 | -1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 110 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plevyak bearers went from 112 to 110 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,193 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #149,446.
FAQ
Plevyak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plevyak?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Plevyak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Plevyak?
Plevyak 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 Plevyak. 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 Plevyak.
Has Plevyak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plevyak went from 112 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Plevyak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plevyak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (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 Plevyak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plevyak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Black (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 Plevyak (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 Plevyak mean?
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "one who spits frequently or spitter." 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 Plevyak (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 Plevyak?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.