2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tranovich
A surname of Croatian origin meaning "one from Tran".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Tranovich. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tranovich 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Tranovich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tranovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tranovich
The surname Tranovich originates from the Slavic countries, most likely from the Balkan region in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Slavic root word "tran," meaning journey or passage, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who traveled frequently or lived along a well-traveled route.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tranovich name can be found in a 16th-century census record from the village of Vranić near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This record mentions a family headed by a man named Ivan Tranovich, who was likely a merchant or trader traveling along the Ottoman trade routes.
In the 17th century, the Tranovich name appears in various church records and historical documents from the region of Dalmatia, which spans parts of modern-day Croatia and Montenegro. A notable figure from this time was Marko Tranovich, a shipbuilder and naval captain from the city of Dubrovnik, born in 1628.
As the Tranovich family spread across the Balkans and Eastern Europe, different spellings of the name emerged, such as Tranović, Tranovič, and Tranowicz. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and a Petar Tranovich (1745-1823) was recorded as a respected landowner and military officer in the region of Vojvodina, present-day Serbia.
The 19th century saw the Tranovich name appear in various parts of Europe and beyond. A notable figure was Mikhail Tranovich (1819-1892), a Russian philosopher and writer who studied at the University of Moscow and was a prominent figure in the Slavophile movement.
Another significant bearer of the Tranovich name was Nikola Tranovich (1861-1925), a Croatian engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early hydroelectric power plants in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Balkans.
While the Tranovich surname may not be as widely known as some other Slavic names, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and multiple regions, reflecting the journeys and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tranovich
Among Census respondents with the surname Tranovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tranovich 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 Tranovich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 117
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tranovich
Tranovich 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,606 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+9 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,298 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,606 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 6,298 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 Tranovich 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 | #148,347 | #142,049 | 4.2% |
| Count | 111 | 120 | 8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tranovich bearers went from 111 to 120 (+8.1% change). The surname moved up 6,298 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #142,049.
FAQ
Tranovich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tranovich?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Tranovich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Tranovich?
Tranovich ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Tranovich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Tranovich.
Has Tranovich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tranovich went from 111 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 9 (+8.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Tranovich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tranovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Tranovich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tranovich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Black (0.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Tranovich (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 Tranovich mean?
A surname of Croatian origin meaning "one from Tran". 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 Tranovich (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 Tranovich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.