2000
#13,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Sedlak
A Czech occupational surname referring to a peasant farmer or villager.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,162 Americans carry the last name Sedlak. That puts it at #15,044 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,536 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sedlak 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
2.2K
1 in 158,536
Census rank
#15,044
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,885 bearers of the surname Sedlak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15044th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sedlak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sedlak
The surname Sedlak originated in the Czech Republic, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Czech word "sedlák," which translates to "farmer" or "peasant." This occupation-based surname was commonly given to those who worked the land and lived in rural areas.
The earliest known records of the Sedlak surname can be found in historical documents from the 14th century. One notable example is the mention of a certain Jan Sedlak in the Bohemian Chronicle, written by Přibík Pulkava of Radenín in the early 1300s.
During the 15th century, the Sedlak surname began to spread throughout the Czech lands and neighboring regions. In 1457, a document from the town of Olomouc mentioned a local resident named Matěj Sedlak, indicating the surname's presence in Moravia.
As the centuries passed, the Sedlak surname continued to be associated with agricultural communities and rural areas. Some variations in spelling, such as Sedlack, Sedlaczek, and Sedlacek, also emerged over time.
Notable individuals bearing the Sedlak surname include Jakub Sedlak (1688-1759), a Czech composer and organist who served at the Church of St. James in Prague. Another prominent figure was Jan Sedlak (1823-1892), a Czech politician and journalist who played a significant role in the Czech National Revival movement.
In the 20th century, Jaroslav Sedlak (1929-2012) was a celebrated Czech actor and director, known for his work in both theater and film. He received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including the prestigious Thalia Award for lifetime achievement in theater.
Other notable individuals with the Sedlak surname include Zdeněk Sedlak (1910-1983), a Czech footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Sparta Prague and Slavia Prague, and Petr Sedlak (born 1985), a contemporary Czech ice hockey player who has competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) for teams like the Colorado Avalanche and the Ottawa Senators.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sedlak
Among Census respondents with the surname Sedlak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sedlak 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 Sedlak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 1,800
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 38
- Two or more races1.5% · 28
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sedlak
Sedlak 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
#14,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,128
-18 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,039 places
2020
#15,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,885
-243 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,080 | 2,146 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,119 | 2,128 | 0.72 | -18 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 1,039 places |
| 2020 | #15,044 | 1,885 | 0.63 | -243 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 925 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 Sedlak 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 | #14,119 | #15,044 | -6.6% |
| Count | 2,128 | 1,885 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.63 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sedlak bearers went from 2,128 to 1,885 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 925 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,119 to #15,044.
FAQ
Sedlak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sedlak?
Name Census estimates that about 2,162 living Americans carry the surname Sedlak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,536 residents.
How common is Sedlak?
Sedlak ranks #15,044 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,885 people with the surname Sedlak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sedlak.
Has Sedlak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sedlak went from 2,128 recorded bearers to 1,885. That is a decrease of 243 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,119 to #15,044.
What does the Census say about the background of Sedlak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sedlak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Sedlak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (1,800 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sedlak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Sedlak (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 Sedlak mean?
A Czech occupational surname referring to a peasant farmer or villager. 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 Sedlak (0.63 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 people share the surname Sedlak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.