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

Rak, 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 Rak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rak in America

Rak is the 20065th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rak surname appeared 1,332 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 Rak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rak 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 Rak

The surname RAK is believed to have originated from the Slavic region of Eastern Europe, particularly in present-day Poland and the Czech Republic, around the 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old Slavic word "rak," which means "crab" or "crawfish." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who were involved in fishing or lived near bodies of water where crabs and crawfish were found.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the RAK surname can be found in the Czech lands during the 16th century. In the Berní rula (Tax Roll) of 1654, which was a comprehensive tax record compiled during the reign of Ferdinand III, several individuals with the surname RAK were listed as landowners or taxpayers in various regions of Bohemia and Moravia.

In Poland, the RAK surname has a long history dating back to the 15th century. It is mentioned in various historical documents, such as the Akta Grodzkie (Castle Records) from the 16th and 17th centuries, which documented legal proceedings and transactions in various regions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Notable individuals with the RAK surname throughout history include Jan Rak (1610-1688), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian who served as the rector of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków; Józef Rak (1779-1854), a Polish landowner and military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars; and Václav Rak (1832-1912), a Czech painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and historical scenes.

In the 19th century, the RAK surname gained prominence in the United States, particularly among Polish and Czech immigrants who arrived in the country during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable individual was John Rak (1872-1948), a Polish-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1916 to 1918.

Another notable figure was Vaclav Rak (1859-1938), a Czech-American artist and sculptor who settled in Chicago and became known for his public monuments and religious sculptures adorning various churches and buildings throughout the city.

Throughout its history, the RAK surname has also been associated with various place names and localities, reflecting the geographic distribution of individuals bearing this name. For example, the village of Rakov in central Bohemia, Czech Republic, is believed to have derived its name from the surname RAK, suggesting the presence of individuals with this surname in the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rak

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

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 Rak 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 Rak 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 Rak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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