2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Surovec
A Polish surname derived from "svraka" meaning jackdaw or crow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Surovec. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Surovec 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Surovec in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Surovec, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Surovec
The surname SUROVEC has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, with the earliest known instances dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to have originated from the Czech word "sur," which means "fierce" or "wild," and the suffix "-ovec," which denotes a person or place of origin.
In the medieval period, SUROVEC was commonly found in regions that are now part of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. The name likely referred to a person who lived in a remote or wilderness area, or someone with a fierce or untamed personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SUROVEC surname can be found in a 1348 document from the town of Brno, in what is now the Czech Republic. The document mentions a man named Jan SUROVEC, who was involved in a property dispute.
During the 15th century, the SUROVEC name appeared in various records and manuscripts across Central Europe. In 1472, a man named Jakub SUROVEC was listed as a landowner in the town of Ostrava, located in the present-day Czech Republic.
In the 16th century, the SUROVEC surname gained prominence with the birth of Václav SUROVEC (1522-1592), a Czech theologian and writer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Bohemia.
Another notable figure bearing the SUROVEC surname was Jan SUROVEC (1601-1668), a Czech soldier and military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War. He is remembered for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.
In the 18th century, the SUROVEC name was associated with a prominent Czech family that owned several estates in the region of Moravia. One member of this family, Karel SUROVEC (1734-1812), was a respected philanthropist and patron of the arts.
As the SUROVEC name spread across Eastern Europe, it also found its way into other Slavic languages, with variations such as SUROVIĆ (Serbian), SUROWIECKI (Polish), and SUROVTSEV (Russian).
Throughout history, the SUROVEC surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, soldiers, and landowners. While the name may have originated from humble beginnings, it has left an indelible mark on the cultural and historical fabric of Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Surovec
Among Census respondents with the surname Surovec, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Surovec 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 Surovec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 6
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Surovec
Surovec 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+3 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,806 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 5,806 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 8,319 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 Surovec 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 | #132,206 | #140,525 | -6.3% |
| Count | 128 | 122 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Surovec bearers went from 128 to 122 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 8,319 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #140,525.
FAQ
Surovec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Surovec?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Surovec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Surovec?
Surovec ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Surovec. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Surovec.
Has Surovec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Surovec went from 128 recorded bearers to 122. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Surovec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Surovec, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Surovec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Surovec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (4.9%), Black (0.8%). 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 Surovec (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 Surovec mean?
A Polish surname derived from "svraka" meaning jackdaw or crow. 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 Surovec (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 common is the surname Surovec?
Find out how many people are called Surovec on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.