2000
#33,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 654
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Rodak
An East European surname indicating a person's place of birth or ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 782 Americans carry the last name Rodak. That puts it at #35,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 438,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rodak 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
782
1 in 438,305
Census rank
#35,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
682
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 682 bearers of the surname Rodak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rodak
The surname Rodak is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the 11th century AD. It is derived from the old Polish word "rodak," meaning "compatriot" or "fellow countryman." The name was initially used to refer to individuals who shared a common birthplace or region within Poland.
In the early days, the name was often associated with individuals from specific areas or villages, such as Rodak z Krakowa (Rodak from Krakow) or Rodak z Poznan (Rodak from Poznan). These regional variations of the name helped distinguish individuals from different parts of the country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rodak can be found in a 13th-century document from the Teutonic Knights, where a certain "Jan Rodak" is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Pomerania. This suggests that the name had already gained prominence and recognition by that time.
During the Middle Ages, the Rodak surname appeared in various historical records, including court proceedings and land deeds. Notable individuals bearing this name include Mikolaj Rodak, a prominent merchant and trader who lived in the city of Gdansk in the 15th century, and Katarzyna Rodak, a respected herbalist and healer from the village of Brzesko in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Rodak surname gained further recognition when Pawel Rodak, a skilled blacksmith and weapons maker, became renowned for his craftsmanship in the town of Wieliczka. His work was highly sought after by the nobility and military commanders of the time.
Another noteworthy figure was Stanislaw Rodak, a scholar and philosopher who lived in the 18th century. He was known for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy, which were widely read and discussed in academic circles across Europe.
As the centuries passed, the Rodak surname continued to be prominent in various fields, including the arts, sciences, and politics. Jan Rodak, born in 1822, was a celebrated painter whose works captured the beauty of the Polish countryside and rural life. Marta Rodak, born in 1876, was a pioneering educator who worked tirelessly to establish schools and promote literacy in rural communities.
While the surname Rodak has its roots in Poland, it has since spread across the world due to immigration and migration patterns. Today, individuals bearing this name can be found in various countries, carrying on the legacy and history of their Polish ancestors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rodak
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rodak 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 Rodak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 633
- Two or more races4.1% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rodak
Rodak 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
#33,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 690
+36 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 144 places
2020
#35,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 682
-8 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 2,357 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,020 | 654 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,164 | 690 | 0.23 | +36 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 144 places |
| 2020 | #35,521 | 682 | 0.23 | -8 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 2,357 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 Rodak 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 | #33,164 | #35,521 | -7.1% |
| Count | 690 | 682 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.23 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rodak bearers went from 690 to 682 (-1.2% change). The surname moved down 2,357 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,164 to #35,521.
FAQ
Rodak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rodak?
Name Census estimates that about 782 living Americans carry the surname Rodak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 438,305 residents.
How common is Rodak?
Rodak ranks #35,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 682 people with the surname Rodak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (782), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Rodak.
Has Rodak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rodak went from 690 recorded bearers to 682. That is a decrease of 8 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,164 to #35,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Rodak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rodak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Rodak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (633 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rodak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Rodak (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 Rodak mean?
An East European surname indicating a person's place of birth or ancestry. 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 Rodak (0.23 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 Rodak?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Rodak? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.