2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Spulak
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "maker of wooden spools or bobbins".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Spulak. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spulak 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Spulak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spulak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spulak
The surname Spulak originates from the Czech Republic, specifically the region of Bohemia, and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Czech word "spuliti," which means "to flush" or "to redden," and was likely a descriptive name given to someone who had a ruddy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Spulak can be found in the Zemské desky, a collection of land records from the Czech Kingdom, where a certain Petr Spulak is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Teplice in 1382. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Berní rula, a tax register from the Czech lands, where a Jan Spulak is listed as a resident of the town of Rakovník in 1567. This document provides valuable insight into the geographic distribution of the name during this period.
The Spulak name can also be traced back to the village of Spulákov in eastern Bohemia, which likely took its name from an early bearer of the surname. This connection to a place name further reinforces the Czech origins of the Spulak family.
Notable individuals with the surname Spulak include:
1. Václav Spulak (1558-1629), a Czech Renaissance painter known for his religious works and portraits.
2. Jiří Spulak (1628-1692), a Bohemian architect who contributed to the design of several churches and monasteries in Prague.
3. Ludmila Spulakova (1785-1843), a Czech writer and journalist who advocated for women's rights and education in the early 19th century.
4. Karel Spulak (1892-1958), a Czech composer and conductor who worked extensively with the National Theatre in Prague.
5. Zdeněk Spulak (1920-2003), a Czech artist and sculptor known for his abstract and modernist works.
Throughout its history, the Spulak surname has maintained a strong presence in the Czech Republic, particularly in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, where it has been associated with various notable figures in the arts, architecture, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spulak
Among Census respondents with the surname Spulak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Spulak 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 Spulak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 97
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spulak
Spulak appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 4,245 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 Spulak 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 | #157,234 | #152,989 | 2.7% |
| Count | 103 | 105 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spulak bearers went from 103 to 105 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 4,245 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #152,989.
FAQ
Spulak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spulak?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Spulak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Spulak?
Spulak ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Spulak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Spulak.
Has Spulak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spulak went from 103 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Spulak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spulak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Spulak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spulak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Black (1.0%). 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 Spulak (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 Spulak mean?
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "maker of wooden spools or bobbins". 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 Spulak (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 share the surname Spulak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.