2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pochatko
A Ukrainian surname possibly derived from the word "pochatok" meaning "beginning".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Pochatko. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pochatko 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Pochatko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pochatko, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pochatko
The surname Pochatko has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the territory of modern-day Ukraine. It is believed to have emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century, during the period when surnames were becoming more widespread and hereditary.
The name Pochatko is derived from the Ukrainian word "pochatok," which means "beginning" or "origin." It is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname, either referring to someone who was the founder or initiator of something, or perhaps to a firstborn child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pochatko can be found in the historic town of Lviv, located in western Ukraine. In the 16th century, a merchant named Ivan Pochatko was mentioned in a local census record, indicating the presence of the name in the region during that time.
While the Pochatko surname is not widely known outside of Eastern Europe, there are a few notable individuals who have borne this name throughout history. In the 19th century, Mykola Pochatko (1825-1892) was a prominent Ukrainian writer and translator, known for his contributions to the development of the Ukrainian literary language.
Another figure of note is Yuriy Pochatko (1892-1968), a Ukrainian military officer who fought in both World Wars and later became a historian, publishing several works on the history of the Ukrainian armed forces.
In more recent times, Andriy Pochatko (born 1964) is a respected Ukrainian artist and sculptor, known for his monumental public artworks throughout Ukraine and beyond.
While not as widespread as some other surnames, the Pochatko name has also been found in historical records from other parts of Eastern Europe, such as Poland and Belarus, suggesting that it may have had a presence in these regions as well.
The name Pochatko has endured through the centuries, carrying with it a sense of beginning and origin, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Eastern Europe and the diverse stories of those who have borne this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pochatko
Among Census respondents with the surname Pochatko, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pochatko 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 Pochatko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pochatko
Pochatko 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,418 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,588 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,418 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,588 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 Pochatko 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 | #148,347 | #150,935 | -1.7% |
| Count | 111 | 108 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pochatko bearers went from 111 to 108 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,588 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #150,935.
FAQ
Pochatko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pochatko?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Pochatko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Pochatko?
Pochatko ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Pochatko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Pochatko.
Has Pochatko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pochatko went from 111 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Pochatko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pochatko, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Pochatko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pochatko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Pochatko (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 Pochatko mean?
A Ukrainian surname possibly derived from the word "pochatok" meaning "beginning". 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 Pochatko (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 last name Pochatko?
See how many people have the last name Pochatko on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.