2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Prelesnik
A toponymic surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a forest settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Prelesnik. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Prelesnik 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Prelesnik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Prelesnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prelesnik
The surname PRELESNIK originates from Slovenia, a country in Central Europe. It is believed to have emerged in the 16th century, derived from the Slovenian word 'preles,' meaning 'over the forest,' suggesting that the name was likely given to someone who lived near or beyond a forested area.
PRELESNIK is a topographic surname, which means it was initially used to identify a person's place of residence or connection to a specific geographic location. In the case of PRELESNIK, it is believed to have originated in the region around the present-day town of Prelesje, located in eastern Slovenia near the border with Croatia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PRELESNIK surname dates back to 1587, when a man named Jakob PRELESNIK was mentioned in a court document from the town of Novo Mesto, Slovenia. This document provides valuable insight into the surname's historical roots and its usage during that era.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the PRELESNIK surname was Matija PRELESNIK (1620-1693), a Slovenian poet and priest who wrote several religious works and is considered one of the pioneers of Slovenian literature.
Another significant individual bearing the PRELESNIK name was Jožef PRELESNIK (1756-1835), a Slovenian mathematician and physicist who made important contributions to the fields of geometry and optics.
During the 19th century, the PRELESNIK surname gained further recognition with the birth of Alojzij PRELESNIK (1818-1892), a Slovenian painter and art educator who played a crucial role in the development of Slovenian artistic traditions.
In the early 20th century, the name was associated with Franc PRELESNIK (1892-1967), a Slovenian architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Throughout its history, the PRELESNIK surname has maintained its roots in Slovenia, with various branches and variations emerging over time, such as Prelešnik, Preleščak, and Preleščnik. These variations may have arisen due to regional dialects, spelling changes, or other linguistic factors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prelesnik
Among Census respondents with the surname Prelesnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Prelesnik 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 Prelesnik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prelesnik
Prelesnik 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-9 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,336 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-19 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 14,336 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 18,129 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 Prelesnik 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 | #129,825 | #147,954 | -14.0% |
| Count | 131 | 112 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prelesnik bearers went from 131 to 112 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 18,129 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #147,954.
FAQ
Prelesnik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prelesnik?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Prelesnik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Prelesnik?
Prelesnik ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Prelesnik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Prelesnik.
Has Prelesnik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prelesnik went from 131 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Prelesnik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prelesnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Prelesnik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prelesnik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Prelesnik (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 Prelesnik mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a forest settlement. 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 Prelesnik (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 Prelesnik?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Prelesnik? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.