2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Puhak
A surname possibly originating from Croatian or Slovenian, potentially relating to a person from the region or associated with a specific occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Puhak. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Puhak 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Puhak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Puhak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Puhak
The surname Puhak has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, specifically in the areas that are now part of Ukraine and western Russia. The name likely dates back to the 16th or 17th century and is thought to be derived from the Slavic word "pukh," meaning "down" or "soft feathers."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Puhak can be found in the archives of the city of Lviv, Ukraine, dating back to the mid-17th century. The records mention a merchant named Mykola Puhak, who was involved in the fur trade and likely took his surname from the soft, downy feathers used in the production of fur garments.
In the late 18th century, the name Puhak appeared in the records of the Russian Empire, particularly in the regions of modern-day Belarus and western Russia. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Ivan Puhak, a landowner and influential figure in the city of Minsk.
As the Slavic populations migrated and settled in different parts of Eastern Europe, the name Puhak spread to other regions. In the 19th century, it became more prevalent in areas such as Poland and Slovakia, where variations like Puchak and Puchok were also common.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Puhak was Yuri Puhak (1892-1964), a Ukrainian artist and sculptor known for his contribution to the development of the Ukrainian Avant-Garde movement in the early 20th century. His works can be found in museums across Ukraine and Russia.
Another notable figure was Maksym Puhak (1901-1983), a Ukrainian writer and journalist who played a significant role in the literary scene of Soviet Ukraine. His novels and short stories explored themes of rural life and the struggles of the Ukrainian people under Soviet rule.
In the 20th century, the Puhak surname also made its way to other parts of the world through immigration. For example, in the United States, there was a prominent lawyer named Michael Puhak (1942-2018) who specialized in intellectual property law and was a respected figure in the legal community.
Overall, the surname Puhak has a rich history rooted in the Slavic cultures of Eastern Europe, with links to various occupations and notable individuals who helped shape the cultural and artistic landscape of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Puhak
Among Census respondents with the surname Puhak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Puhak 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 Puhak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 8
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Puhak
Puhak 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-26 bearers (-18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,418 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,929 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-18.8%) | Down 30,418 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 6,929 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 Puhak 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 | #147,253 | #154,182 | -4.7% |
| Count | 112 | 103 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Puhak bearers went from 112 to 103 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 6,929 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #154,182.
FAQ
Puhak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Puhak?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Puhak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Puhak?
Puhak ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Puhak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Puhak.
Has Puhak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Puhak went from 112 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Puhak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Puhak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Puhak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Puhak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (7.8%), Black (1.0%). 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 Puhak (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 Puhak mean?
A surname possibly originating from Croatian or Slovenian, potentially relating to a person from the region or associated with a specific occupation. 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 Puhak (0.03 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 common is the surname Puhak?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Puhak at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.