2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ulik
A surname derived from a shortened form of the Slavic name Ulrich.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Ulik. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ulik 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Ulik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulik, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ulik
The surname ULIK is of Slavic origin, with its roots traced back to the region of Eastern Europe, particularly in modern-day Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. The name is believed to have emerged in the 13th century, derived from the Slavic word "ulica," which means "street" or "lane."
In the early medieval period, ULIK was often associated with individuals who lived or worked near a prominent street or marketplace in their respective towns or villages. This connection to urban settings and trade routes suggests that the name may have been adopted by merchants, craftsmen, or artisans who plied their trades along these bustling thoroughfares.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ULIK surname can be found in the Polish town of Krakow, where a certain Jakub ULIK was mentioned in a municipal registry from the year 1372. This document provides valuable insight into the name's longstanding presence in the region.
Another notable figure bearing the ULIK name was Ivan ULIK, a Ukrainian Cossack leader who fought against Polish domination in the mid-17th century. His exploits were documented in several historical chronicles, and his name has become synonymous with the fight for Ukrainian independence during that turbulent period.
In the 18th century, a prominent Russian nobleman named Andrei ULIK was known for his extensive landholdings and patronage of the arts. His estate in the Smolensk region was a hub of cultural activity, and he commissioned several notable works of architecture and literature.
Moving into the 19th century, the ULIK surname gained recognition in the field of academia with the life and works of Josip ULIK, a Croatian linguist and philologist born in 1818. His pioneering research on Slavic languages and their historical development earned him widespread acclaim throughout the scholarly community of the time.
Finally, in the early 20th century, the name ULIK was associated with the avant-garde artistic movement in Eastern Europe, thanks to the contributions of Olga ULIK, a Serbian painter and sculptress born in 1892. Her bold and experimental works challenged traditional artistic conventions and left a lasting impact on the region's cultural landscape.
While these are just a few examples, the ULIK surname has a rich and diverse history, reflecting the various cultural and societal influences that have shaped its evolution over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ulik
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulik, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ulik 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 Ulik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 5
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ulik
Ulik 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+13 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,852 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-20 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,963 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 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | +13 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 1,852 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 18,963 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 Ulik 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 | #124,548 | #143,511 | -15.2% |
| Count | 138 | 118 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ulik bearers went from 138 to 118 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 18,963 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #143,511.
FAQ
Ulik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ulik?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Ulik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Ulik?
Ulik ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Ulik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Ulik.
Has Ulik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ulik went from 138 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Ulik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ulik, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Ulik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ulik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Hispanic (8.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Ulik (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 Ulik mean?
A surname derived from a shortened form of the Slavic name Ulrich. 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 Ulik (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 Ulik?
See how many Americans have the surname Ulik on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.