2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Stropko
A surname possibly derived from an Eastern European occupation or nickname related to vigilance or wariness.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Stropko. 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 Stropko 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 Stropko 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 Stropko, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stropko
The surname Stropko is of Slavic origin, tracing its roots back to the Carpathian Mountain region of eastern Europe. It is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century, likely in modern-day Slovakia or Poland.
One theory suggests that the name Stropko is derived from the Slavic word "strop," meaning "ceiling" or "roof." This could indicate that the surname was initially assigned to individuals who were involved in the construction or maintenance of roofs or ceilings, such as carpenters or roofers.
Another possible explanation is that Stropko is a toponymic surname, referring to a specific place or location. Some scholars believe it may be connected to the village of Stropkov in northeastern Slovakia, which could have been the ancestral home of individuals bearing this surname.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Stropko can be found in various historical documents from the region, such as church records, land registries, and census data from the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable example is Jan Stropko, a landowner from the village of Vysna Olka in modern-day Slovakia, who was mentioned in a land deed dated 1683.
As the Stropko family expanded and migrated throughout the region, variations in spelling began to emerge, including Stropkov, Stropkowicz, and Stropkowski. These variations often reflected the influence of local languages and dialects.
Notable individuals with the surname Stropko throughout history include:
1. Michal Stropko (1788-1858), a Slovak priest and writer who authored several religious texts and hymns in the Slovak language.
2. Andrej Stropko (1823-1897), a Slovak politician and journalist who played a significant role in the Slovak national revival movement of the 19th century.
3. Ján Stropko (1863-1925), a Slovak painter and artist known for his landscape and genre paintings depicting rural life in the Carpathian Mountains.
4. Maria Stropko (1912-1998), a Polish-born American artist and sculptor who was renowned for her works in metal and stone.
5. Vladimír Stropko (1944-2022), a Slovak football player and coach who represented Czechoslovakia at the 1970 FIFA World Cup and later managed several clubs in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
While the surname Stropko may not be as widely known as some other European surnames, it has a rich history deeply rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of the Carpathian region, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who have borne this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stropko
Among Census respondents with the surname Stropko, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stropko 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 Stropko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stropko
Stropko 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,352 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 361 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 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 14,352 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 361 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 Stropko 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 | #143,149 | #142,788 | 0.3% |
| Count | 116 | 119 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stropko bearers went from 116 to 119 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #142,788.
FAQ
Stropko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stropko?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Stropko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Stropko?
Stropko 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 Stropko. 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 Stropko.
Has Stropko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stropko went from 116 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Stropko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stropko, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Stropko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stropko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Stropko (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 Stropko mean?
A surname possibly derived from an Eastern European occupation or nickname related to vigilance or wariness. 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 Stropko (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 have the surname Stropko?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.