2000
#82,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Stroka
A Polish surname thought to derive from the word "strok" referring to a person involved in dressmaking or tailoring.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 272 Americans carry the last name Stroka. That puts it at #85,054 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,260,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stroka 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
272
1 in 1,260,126
Census rank
#85,054
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
237
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 237 bearers of the surname Stroka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85054th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stroka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stroka
The surname STROKA has its origins in Poland, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "strok," which means "spruce" or "pine tree." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with these types of trees.
One of the earliest known bearers of the STROKA surname was Jan STROKA, a farmer from the village of Grodzisk Mazowiecki, near Warsaw, who was mentioned in a land registry document from 1562. Another early record is that of Marcin STROKA, a blacksmith from the town of Sandomierz, whose name appeared in a guild register from 1586.
The STROKA name can be found in various historical documents throughout the centuries, including church records, tax rolls, and military registers. For example, there is a record of a soldier named Jakub STROKA who served in the Polish Army during the Polish-Swedish War of the 17th century.
In the 19th century, the STROKA surname gained prominence with the birth of Karol STROKA (1824-1891), a renowned Polish painter and illustrator known for his portraits and landscapes. Another notable figure was Józef STROKA (1855-1918), a Polish writer and journalist who contributed to several literary magazines and newspapers of his time.
Other notable individuals with the STROKA surname include Franciszek STROKA (1860-1932), a Polish architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Krakow region, and Władysław STROKA (1879-1957), a Polish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interwar period.
It is worth mentioning that variations of the STROKA surname have been found in historical records, such as STROKOV, STROKOFF, and STROKOVICH, which may have been influenced by regional dialects or migration patterns within Poland and neighboring countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stroka
Among Census respondents with the surname Stroka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stroka 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 Stroka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 222
- Two or more races3.8% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stroka
Stroka 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
#90,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 203
-10 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 8,509 places
2020
#85,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 237
+34 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 5,799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #82,344 | 213 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #90,853 | 203 | 0.07 | -10 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 8,509 places |
| 2020 | #85,054 | 237 | 0.08 | +34 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 5,799 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 Stroka 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 | #90,853 | #85,054 | 6.4% |
| Count | 203 | 237 | 16.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.08 | 13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stroka bearers went from 203 to 237 (+16.7% change). The surname moved up 5,799 positions in the national ranking, going from #90,853 to #85,054.
FAQ
Stroka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stroka?
Name Census estimates that about 272 living Americans carry the surname Stroka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,260,126 residents.
How common is Stroka?
Stroka ranks #85,054 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 237 people with the surname Stroka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Stroka.
Has Stroka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stroka went from 203 recorded bearers to 237. That is an increase of 34 (+16.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #90,853 to #85,054.
What does the Census say about the background of Stroka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stroka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Stroka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (222 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stroka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Stroka (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 Stroka mean?
A Polish surname thought to derive from the word "strok" referring to a person involved in dressmaking or tailoring. 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 Stroka (0.08 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 have the surname Stroka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.