2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Umek
A Slovenian surname derived from a nickname referring to someone wise or intelligent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Umek. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Umek 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Umek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Umek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Umek
The surname Umek has its origins in Slovenia, a country located in southeastern Europe. It is believed to have emerged during the 13th century, when surnames began to be adopted in the region. The name Umek is derived from the Slovene word "umek," which translates to "retreat" or "withdrawal."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Umek can be found in a 14th-century document from the town of Škofja Loka, which mentions a certain Janez Umek. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time and may have been associated with a specific occupation or lifestyle.
In the 16th century, the surname Umek appears in records from the Carniola region, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. A notable figure from this period was Andrej Umek, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Železniki around 1550.
During the 17th century, the name Umek spread to other parts of Slovenia, as well as neighboring regions such as Croatia and Italy. One individual of note was Matija Umek, a scholar and priest who was born in Ljubljana in 1635 and served as a professor at the University of Graz.
The 18th century saw the emergence of several prominent individuals bearing the surname Umek. One such figure was Jurij Umek, a merchant and trader who was born in Trieste (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) in 1720. Another was Franc Umek, a military officer who served in the Austrian army during the Napoleonic Wars and was born in Celje in 1775.
In the 19th century, the name Umek continued to be found throughout Slovenia and neighboring regions. A notable bearer of the surname was Alojzij Umek, a writer and poet who was born in Gorizia (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) in 1825 and is considered one of the pioneers of Slovenian literature.
As the centuries passed, the Umek surname spread to other parts of Europe and even beyond, carried by individuals seeking new opportunities or fleeing conflicts. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the Slovenian region and its rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Umek
Among Census respondents with the surname Umek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Umek 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 Umek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 95
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Umek
Umek 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
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,118 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-22 bearers (-18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 11,118 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-18.2%) | Down 17,701 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 Umek 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 | #156,005 | -12.8% |
| Count | 121 | 99 | -18.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Umek bearers went from 121 to 99 (-18.2% change). The surname moved down 17,701 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #156,005.
FAQ
Umek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Umek?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Umek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Umek?
Umek ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Umek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Umek.
Has Umek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Umek went from 121 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 22 (-18.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Umek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Umek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Umek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Umek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Umek (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 Umek mean?
A Slovenian surname derived from a nickname referring to someone wise or intelligent. 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 Umek (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Umek?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.