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

Rybak, 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 Rybak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rybak in America

Rybak is the 15223rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rybak surname appeared 1,934 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rybak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rybak 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 Rybak

The surname Rybak is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "ryba" meaning "fish". It is an occupational surname initially given to those who worked as fishermen or fish merchants.

The earliest recorded instances of the Rybak surname date back to the 14th century in Poland. In historical records from the city of Kraków, a "Henricus Rybak" is mentioned as a resident in 1390. The name also appears in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with a "Jan Rybak" listed in 1428.

During the Middle Ages, the Rybak surname was particularly prevalent in the regions surrounding the Vistula River and the Baltic Sea coast, where fishing was a common occupation. The name can be found in various old Polish town and village names, such as Rybakowo and Rybakówka, which likely originated from the presence of Rybak families in those areas.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Rybak surname was Jan Rybak, a Polish writer and translator who lived in the 16th century. He is best known for his translation of Aesop's Fables into Polish, published in 1554.

Another notable figure was Jakub Rybak, a Polish soldier and military engineer who lived in the 17th century. He served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's army and is credited with designing fortifications in various cities, including Lviv and Kamianets-Podilskyi.

In the 18th century, Józef Rybak was a prominent Polish painter and engraver. He was born in 1730 and is renowned for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches across Poland.

The 19th century saw the birth of Feliks Rybak, a Polish composer and conductor. Born in 1848, he is best known for his operas and choral works, which were widely performed in Poland and throughout Europe during his lifetime.

Finally, in the early 20th century, Józef Rybak was a Polish politician and activist. Born in 1882, he was a member of the Polish Socialist Party and played a significant role in the struggle for Polish independence from the Russian Empire.

While the Rybak surname is still relatively common in Poland today, its origins can be traced back to the occupational roots of fishing and fish trading in the Middle Ages, with a rich history spanning several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rybak

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

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

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

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