Find out how popular the last name Potokar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Potokar.

Potokar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Potokar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Potokar in America

Potokar is the 106570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Potokar surname appeared 167 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Potokar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Potokar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Potokar

The surname Potokar is of Slovenian origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Slovenian word "potok," which translates to "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or worked with streams or waterways.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Potokar surname can be found in the Slovenian cadastral records from the late 16th century, where it was spelled as "Potomkar." This variation in spelling was likely due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized orthography at the time.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Potokar surname gained prominence in various regions of Slovenia, particularly in the central and eastern parts of the country. This was a time when many Slovenian families adopted surnames based on their occupations, geographic locations, or physical characteristics.

In the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the Potokar surname was Anton Potokar (1827-1892), a Slovenian priest and writer. He was known for his contributions to Slovenian literature and his efforts in promoting the Slovenian language and culture.

Another significant individual with the Potokar surname was Janez Potokar (1862-1949), a Slovenian politician and lawyer. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the University of Ljubljana and served as the first rector of the university.

Towards the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, the Potokar surname began to spread beyond Slovenia's borders as individuals migrated to other parts of Europe and the world. One such individual was Franc Potokar (1887-1964), a Slovenian-American architect who designed several notable buildings in the United States, including the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the 20th century, Jože Potokar (1909-1987) was a prominent Slovenian sculptor and medallist. His works can be found in various public spaces and museums across Slovenia, and he is regarded as one of the country's most influential artists of the modern era.

Lastly, Matjaž Potokar (born 1975) is a contemporary Slovenian writer and journalist. He has published several novels and collections of short stories, exploring themes of contemporary Slovenian society and identity.

While the Potokar surname may have originated from a humble reference to streams or brooks, it has since been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including literature, politics, architecture, and art, leaving an indelible mark on Slovenian culture and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Potokar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Potokar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Potokar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Potokar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Potokar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Potokar, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!