2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pravda
A Slavic surname meaning "truth" or "justice."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Pravda. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pravda 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Pravda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pravda, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pravda
The surname Pravda is of Slavic origin, specifically from the Russian language. It is derived from the Russian word "pravda," which means "truth" or "justice." The name likely emerged in the early medieval period, around the 10th to 12th centuries, when Russian surnames began to develop.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Pravda can be found in historical documents from the Russian principalities and later the Tsardom of Russia. One notable mention is in the Veliky Novgorod chronicles from the 14th century, where a person named Pravda is referenced in relation to a legal dispute.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Pravda became more widespread across Russia, particularly among the merchant class and lower nobility. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by individuals or families who valued honesty, integrity, and justice, or who worked in professions related to law or governance.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Pravda was Ivan Pravda, a merchant from Veliky Novgorod who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Semyon Pravda, a prominent lawyer and legal scholar who served as a judge in the court of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the surname was Andrei Pravda (1710-1781), a Russian military officer who participated in the Russo-Turkish Wars and rose to the rank of general. During the same period, Mikhail Pravda (1735-1807) was a respected philosopher and educator who taught at the Moscow University.
The 19th century saw the rise of Alexei Pravda (1819-1892), a prominent Russian writer and poet who was part of the literary movement known as the "Peredvizhniki" (Wanderers). His works often explored themes of social injustice and the plight of the working class.
It is worth noting that the surname Pravda gained particular prominence in the 20th century due to its association with the Soviet newspaper Pravda, which was the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. However, this report focuses solely on the historical origins and notable bearers of the surname itself, rather than its use in modern times or as a first name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pravda
Among Census respondents with the surname Pravda, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pravda 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 Pravda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pravda
Pravda 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 1,918 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 Pravda 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 | #154,907 | #152,989 | 1.2% |
| Count | 105 | 105 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pravda bearers went from 105 to 105 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 1,918 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #152,989.
FAQ
Pravda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pravda?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Pravda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Pravda?
Pravda ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Pravda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Pravda.
Has Pravda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pravda went from 105 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Pravda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pravda, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Pravda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pravda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Pravda (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 Pravda mean?
A Slavic surname meaning "truth" or "justice." 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 Pravda (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 Pravda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.