2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vodraska
A surname of Czech origin meaning "from a water meadow" or "a resident near a body of water".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Vodraska. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vodraska 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Vodraska in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vodraska, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vodraska
The surname Vodraska has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Czech word "vodra," which means "otter." The suffix "-ska" was commonly added to denote a person's place of origin or occupation, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a body of water or worked with otters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vodraska can be found in the Codex Gigas, a 13th-century manuscript from the Benedictine monastery in Bohemia. The name is mentioned in a list of landowners and tenants, indicating that the Vodraska family held some degree of prominence in the region during that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Jan Vodraska was a respected scholar and theologian at the University of Prague. He was born in 1412 and played a significant role in the Hussite Reformation movement, which aimed to reform the Catholic Church in Bohemia.
The name Vodraska has also been associated with various place names throughout the Czech Republic. For instance, the village of Vodraská Lhota, located in the Vysočina Region, likely derived its name from the Vodraska family who may have settled or owned land in the area.
In the 18th century, a man named Václav Vodraska (1725-1799) gained recognition as a skilled architect and builder. He was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in Prague, including the Church of St. Nicholas in Malá Strana.
Another notable Vodraska was the Czech composer and music teacher František Vodraska (1853-1937), who was born in the town of Opočno. He composed numerous choral works and was a respected figure in the Czech music scene during his lifetime.
Throughout history, the Vodraska surname has maintained a strong presence in the Czech Republic and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artisans, and members of the nobility. While its origins may have been humble, the name has endured and continues to be a part of the rich cultural tapestry of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vodraska
Among Census respondents with the surname Vodraska, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vodraska 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 Vodraska surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 97
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vodraska
Vodraska 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+8 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,604 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-25 bearers (-19.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 1,604 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -25 bearers (-19.8%) | Down 21,407 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 Vodraska 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 | #133,863 | #155,270 | -16.0% |
| Count | 126 | 101 | -19.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vodraska bearers went from 126 to 101 (-19.8% change). The surname moved down 21,407 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #155,270.
FAQ
Vodraska surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vodraska?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Vodraska. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Vodraska?
Vodraska ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Vodraska. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Vodraska.
Has Vodraska become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vodraska went from 126 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 25 (-19.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Vodraska?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vodraska, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Vodraska in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vodraska 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 (4.0%). 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 Vodraska (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 Vodraska mean?
A surname of Czech origin meaning "from a water meadow" or "a resident near a body of water". 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 Vodraska (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 people are called Vodraska?
See how many Americans have the surname Vodraska on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.