2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pogorelc
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "burned clearing" in Slavic languages.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Pogorelc. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pogorelc 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Pogorelc in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pogorelc, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pogorelc
The surname "POGORELC" has its origins in Slovenia, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Slovenian word "pogoreti," which means "to burn down" or "to be destroyed by fire." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had their property or home destroyed by fire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Gornja Radgona, which is located in the northeastern part of Slovenia near the border with Austria. In these records, a man named Jakob Pogorelc is mentioned as having lived in the village of Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici in the year 1598.
The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as land registries and tax records, indicating that the Pogorelc family had established itself as a prominent local presence in the area.
One notable individual with the surname Pogorelc was Matija Pogorelc, born in 1718 in the village of Videm pri Ptuju. He was a respected farmer and landowner who is said to have played a significant role in the local community affairs of his time.
Another historically significant figure was Jernej Pogorelc, born in 1795 in the town of Radgona. He was a respected scholar and writer who authored several works on Slovenian language and literature, contributing to the preservation and promotion of Slovenian cultural heritage.
In the 19th century, the name Pogorelc can be found in various records from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which at the time encompassed much of the Slovenian-speaking regions. One noteworthy individual from this period was Anton Pogorelc, born in 1832 in the village of Sv. Jurij ob Ščavnici. He was a prominent local politician and advocate for Slovenian rights within the Empire.
Towards the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, the surname Pogorelc began to appear in records from other parts of Slovenia, indicating that members of the family had migrated to other regions. One such individual was Franc Pogorelc, born in 1873 in the town of Celje, who was a respected teacher and educator.
Throughout its history, the surname Pogorelc has maintained a strong presence in Slovenia, with families bearing this name continuing to play important roles in various aspects of Slovenian society, from agriculture and local governance to education and cultural preservation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pogorelc
Among Census respondents with the surname Pogorelc, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pogorelc 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 Pogorelc surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 95
- Two or more races9.2% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pogorelc
Pogorelc appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,839 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Up 5,839 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 Pogorelc 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 | #156,044 | #150,205 | 3.7% |
| Count | 104 | 109 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pogorelc bearers went from 104 to 109 (+4.8% change). The surname moved up 5,839 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #150,205.
FAQ
Pogorelc surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pogorelc?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Pogorelc. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Pogorelc?
Pogorelc ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Pogorelc. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Pogorelc.
Has Pogorelc become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pogorelc went from 104 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 5 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Pogorelc?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pogorelc, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (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 Pogorelc in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pogorelc appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Two or More Races (9.2%), Hispanic (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 Pogorelc (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 Pogorelc mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "burned clearing" in Slavic languages. 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 Pogorelc (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 Pogorelc?
If you just want to know how common the surname Pogorelc is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.