2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Trunko
A surname possibly derived from a Polish word meaning "trunk" or "log."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Trunko. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trunko 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Trunko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trunko, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trunko
The surname TRUNKO is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Central and Eastern Europe, with its roots likely stemming from the early medieval period. The name is thought to derive from the Slavic word "trukno," which referred to a type of coarse, thick fabric or cloth.
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled variations such as Trunkov, Trunkow, or Trunkovich, reflecting the linguistic influences of the various Slavic languages in the region. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries suggest that the name was particularly prevalent in areas that are now part of modern-day Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
One of the earliest known references to the TRUNKO surname can be found in a land registry from the town of Krakow, Poland, dating back to the late 14th century. This document mentions a certain "Petrus Trunkov," believed to be a weaver or cloth merchant. Another notable early bearer of the name was Jan Trunkov, a prominent merchant and landowner from the region of Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic), who lived in the early 15th century.
As the Slavic peoples migrated and settled in various parts of Europe over the centuries, the TRUNKO name spread to other regions. In the 16th century, there are records of individuals with the surname in parts of modern-day Germany and Austria, likely descendants of Slavic settlers or traders.
Notable bearers of the TRUNKO surname throughout history include:
1. Wenceslaus Trunko (c. 1520 - 1585), a renowned Czech scholar and educator who taught at the University of Prague.
2. Mikhail Trunkovich (1745 - 1819), a Russian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was decorated for his service.
3. Katarina Trunková (1829 - 1901), a Slovak writer and activist who worked to preserve and promote the Slovak language and culture.
4. Lubomir Trunko (1876 - 1942), a Polish-born artist and painter who was part of the Impressionist movement in France.
5. Ivan Trunko (1908 - 1992), a Ukrainian-American engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early computer systems and digital electronics.
While the TRUNKO surname may not be as widely known as some others, its rich history and connections to the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Slavic peoples make it a fascinating and storied name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trunko
Among Census respondents with the surname Trunko, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Trunko 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 Trunko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trunko
Trunko 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+13 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,104 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-8 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,558 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 3,104 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 9,558 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 Trunko 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 | #134,712 | #144,270 | -7.1% |
| Count | 125 | 117 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trunko bearers went from 125 to 117 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 9,558 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #144,270.
FAQ
Trunko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trunko?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Trunko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Trunko?
Trunko ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Trunko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Trunko.
Has Trunko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trunko went from 125 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Trunko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trunko, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Trunko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trunko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Hispanic (1.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Trunko (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 Trunko mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Polish word meaning "trunk" or "log." 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 Trunko (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 last name Trunko?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Trunko at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.