2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Trocha
A variant spelling of an occupational surname denoting a peddler or trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 150 Americans carry the last name Trocha. That puts it at #133,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,285,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trocha 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
150
1 in 2,285,029
Census rank
#133,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
131
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 131 bearers of the surname Trocha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 133930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trocha, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trocha
The surname TROCHA is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "troch," meaning "a bit" or "a little." This surname was likely initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was small in stature or had a modest demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the TROCHA name can be found in the historic Polish town of Tarnów, where a family bearing this surname resided in the early 1600s. Records from the Tarnów parish church mention a Jakub TROCHA, born in 1612, and his wife, Katarzyna.
In the late 17th century, the TROCHA name appeared in the nearby village of Żabno, where a Marcin TROCHA was recorded as a landowner and farmer. This suggests that the family had established roots in the region and likely played a role in the local agricultural community.
During the 18th century, the TROCHA surname spread to other parts of Poland, as evidenced by the birth records of Jan TROCHA in Kraków in 1732 and Tomasz TROCHA in Warsaw in 1758. These records indicate the gradual dispersal of the TROCHA family across various Polish cities and towns.
Notable individuals with the TROCHA surname include:
1. Stanisław TROCHA (1833-1903), a Polish painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
2. Feliks TROCHA (1857-1926), a Polish engineer and industrialist who founded a successful machinery manufacturing company in Łódź.
3. Jadwiga TROCHA (1899-1982), a Polish educator and women's rights activist who advocated for equal access to education for girls in rural areas.
4. Kazimierz TROCHA (1928-2007), a Polish writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and short stories during the latter half of the 20th century.
5. Marek TROCHA (born 1964), a contemporary Polish film director and screenwriter known for his critically acclaimed films exploring social and political themes.
While the TROCHA surname has its origins in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the 16th century in the historic regions of southern Poland, where the earliest recorded instances of this name were found.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trocha
Among Census respondents with the surname Trocha, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Trocha 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 Trocha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trocha
Trocha 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-7 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,195 places
2020
#133,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+10 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,374 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 14,195 places |
| 2020 | #133,930 | 131 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 4,374 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 Trocha 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 | #138,304 | #133,930 | 3.2% |
| Count | 121 | 131 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trocha bearers went from 121 to 131 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 4,374 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #133,930.
FAQ
Trocha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trocha?
Name Census estimates that about 150 living Americans carry the surname Trocha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,285,029 residents.
How common is Trocha?
Trocha ranks #133,930 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 131 people with the surname Trocha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (150), 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 Trocha.
Has Trocha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trocha went from 121 recorded bearers to 131. That is an increase of 10 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #138,304 to #133,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Trocha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trocha, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) 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 Trocha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trocha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (9.9%), 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 Trocha (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 Trocha mean?
A variant spelling of an occupational surname denoting a peddler or trader. 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 Trocha (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 Trocha?
If you just want to know how common the surname Trocha is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.