2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sobolak
A Slavic surname derived from the word "sobolj" meaning "sable" or "marten".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Sobolak. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sobolak 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Sobolak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sobolak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sobolak
The surname Sobolak is of Polish origin, originating from the region of Małopolska (Lesser Poland) in southern Poland. It is believed to have emerged around the 15th century.
The name Sobolak is derived from the Polish word "sobol," which means "sable," referring to the valuable fur-bearing mammal. This suggests that the name may have been associated with the fur trade or someone who worked with sable furs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sobolak can be found in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of official documents from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dating back to the late 16th century. This record mentions a certain Jan Sobolak, a merchant from the city of Kraków.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the parish records of the village of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, near Kraków. Here, a family by the name of Sobolak is mentioned, with several members being recorded as farmers and landowners.
During the 18th century, the surname Sobolak was particularly prevalent in the region around the town of Bochnia, known for its salt mines. One notable figure from this period was Michał Sobolak (1724-1798), a salt mine manager and influential figure in the local community.
Another prominent individual with the surname Sobolak was Józef Sobolak (1806-1873), a Polish painter and illustrator. He was born in the village of Wilcza Wola, near Kraków, and is known for his religious paintings and portraits commissioned by the local nobility.
In the 19th century, the Sobolak family had connections to the city of Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine). A notable figure from this period was Jan Sobolak (1825-1891), a lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Galician Sejm (regional parliament) in Lwów.
While the surname Sobolak is not as common today as it once was, it remains rooted in its Polish origins and has a rich history spanning several centuries, with notable individuals contributing to various fields, from art and politics to commerce and industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sobolak
Among Census respondents with the surname Sobolak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sobolak 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 Sobolak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 113
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sobolak
Sobolak 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,652 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,652 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6,339 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 Sobolak 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 | #136,449 | #142,788 | -4.6% |
| Count | 123 | 119 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sobolak bearers went from 123 to 119 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 6,339 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,788.
FAQ
Sobolak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sobolak?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Sobolak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Sobolak?
Sobolak ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Sobolak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Sobolak.
Has Sobolak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sobolak went from 123 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Sobolak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sobolak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Sobolak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sobolak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Black (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Sobolak (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 Sobolak mean?
A Slavic surname derived from the word "sobolj" meaning "sable" or "marten". 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 Sobolak (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 people are called Sobolak?
Want to know how common the surname Sobolak is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.