2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Pogorelec
A surname indicating a person displaced or forced to migrate due to disaster or fire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Pogorelec. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pogorelec 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Pogorelec in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pogorelec, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pogorelec
The surname Pogorelec originates from Slovenia, a country located in southern Central Europe. It traces its roots back to the 16th century, during the time when Slovenia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The name is derived from the Slovene word "pogorelec," which means "a person who has suffered a fire."
The earliest known record of the surname Pogorelec can be found in the parish records of the town of Litija, dating back to 1587. This record mentions a certain Janez Pogorelec, who was likely a local resident of the area. It is believed that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who had survived a fire or whose property had been damaged by fire.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Pogorelec surname appears in various historical documents and records from different regions of Slovenia, including Carniola, Styria, and the Slovenian Littoral. One notable mention is in the archives of the town of Radovljica, where a Johann Pogorelec is listed as a landowner in 1697.
In the 19th century, the surname Pogorelec became more widespread across Slovenia, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Jožef Pogorelec (1825-1892), a respected teacher and writer who published several educational books and contributed to the development of Slovene literature.
Another prominent figure with the surname Pogorelec was Matija Pogorelec (1871-1949), a Slovenian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Slovenian National Assembly and played a crucial role in the establishment of the modern Slovenian state after World War I.
In more recent history, Alojz Pogorelec (1912-1996) was a Slovenian painter and graphic artist renowned for his landscapes and portraits. His works are displayed in several museums and galleries across Slovenia.
It is worth noting that variations of the surname, such as Pogorelczyk or Pogorelczyk, can also be found in neighboring countries like Croatia and Austria, where Slovenian communities have historically resided.
Overall, the surname Pogorelec has a rich history deeply rooted in the Slovenian cultural heritage, reflecting the resilience and perseverance of those who overcame adversities such as fires in the past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pogorelec
Among Census respondents with the surname Pogorelec, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pogorelec 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 Pogorelec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 8
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pogorelec
Pogorelec 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,373 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 Pogorelec 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 | #159,712 | #152,339 | 4.6% |
| Count | 101 | 106 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pogorelec bearers went from 101 to 106 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,373 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,339.
FAQ
Pogorelec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pogorelec?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Pogorelec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Pogorelec?
Pogorelec ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Pogorelec. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Pogorelec.
Has Pogorelec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pogorelec went from 101 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Pogorelec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pogorelec, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Pogorelec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pogorelec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Pogorelec (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 Pogorelec mean?
A surname indicating a person displaced or forced to migrate due to disaster or fire. 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 Pogorelec (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 Americans have the surname Pogorelec?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.