2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pukas
A surname derived from a Polish word meaning "knob" or "hump".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Pukas. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pukas 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Pukas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pukas, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pukas
The surname PUKAS has its origins in the Slavic region of Eastern Europe, specifically Poland. It first emerged in the 14th century as a variation of the Polish word "puka," which means "bump" or "protrusion." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with a distinctive physical feature.
In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Pukasz" or "Pukasch" in Polish records and manuscripts. One of the earliest documented instances of the surname can be found in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the 16th century in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The PUKAS surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Jan Pukasz, a Polish soldier who fought in the Polish-Muscovite War of 1609-1618. Another early bearer of the name was Bartłomiej Pukas, a merchant from Kraków who was mentioned in city records from the late 16th century.
In the 18th century, Marcin Pukas (1700-1776) was a respected Polish writer and poet, known for his religious works and contributions to Polish literature. During the same period, Józef Pukas (1725-1802) was a prominent architect in Warsaw, responsible for designing several churches and public buildings.
In the 19th century, Michał Pukas (1820-1897) was a Polish politician and activist who played a significant role in the January Uprising against the Russian Empire. He was briefly imprisoned for his involvement in the uprising but later went on to serve as a member of the Galician Diet, representing the Polish community in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Another notable figure with this surname was Stanisław Pukas (1875-1942), a Polish artist and painter who was widely recognized for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Poland. His works are part of several museum collections in Poland and have been exhibited internationally.
While the PUKAS surname originated in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the Slavic region and the descriptive term associated with physical appearance in the 14th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pukas
Among Census respondents with the surname Pukas, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pukas 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 Pukas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pukas
Pukas 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-23 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,110 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 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 21,110 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 Pukas 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 | #150,935 | -16.3% |
| Count | 131 | 108 | -17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pukas bearers went from 131 to 108 (-17.6% change). The surname moved down 21,110 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #150,935.
FAQ
Pukas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pukas?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Pukas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Pukas?
Pukas ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Pukas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Pukas.
Has Pukas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pukas went from 131 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Pukas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pukas, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Pukas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pukas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (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 Pukas (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 Pukas mean?
A surname derived from a Polish word meaning "knob" or "hump". 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 Pukas (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 Pukas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.