2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Volodarsky
A surname originating from the Russian word "volodary" meaning "ruler" or "master".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Volodarsky. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Volodarsky 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Volodarsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Volodarsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Volodarsky
The surname Volodarsky originated in Russia, likely emerging during the 14th or 15th century. Its roots can be traced back to the Russian word "volodar," which means "ruler" or "sovereign." This suggests that the name was initially borne by individuals who held positions of authority or leadership within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Volodarsky appears in the Velvet Book, a 16th-century compilation of Russian nobility and landowners. The entry mentions a certain Afanasy Volodarsky, who owned vast estates in the region of Novgorod during the reign of Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584).
In the 17th century, the name Volodarsky gained prominence among the Cossack communities of southern Russia. Historical records from this period mention several notable Cossack leaders and military commanders bearing this surname, such as Yakov Volodarsky (1620-1678), who played a significant role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule in Ukraine.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Volodarsky family spread across various regions of the Russian Empire. Some members of the family were involved in the arts, such as the celebrated painter Mikhail Volodarsky (1780-1848), whose works are part of the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The 20th century saw the rise of several influential figures with the surname Volodarsky. One of the most prominent was Vyacheslav Volodarsky (1891-1918), a Bolshevik revolutionary and one of the leaders of the Russian Civil War. He served as the first chairman of the Petrograd Council of People's Commissars before being assassinated in 1918.
Another notable figure was Yevgeny Volodarsky (1920-2001), a renowned Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. His works, such as the 1961 film "Nine Days of One Year," earned him critical acclaim and numerous awards.
It is worth mentioning that the name Volodarsky has also been associated with various places and geographical locations throughout Russia's history. For instance, the village of Volodarskoe in the Leningrad Oblast was named after the Bolshevik revolutionary Vyacheslav Volodarsky, honoring his contributions to the Soviet cause.
While the surname Volodarsky may have evolved and been adapted over the centuries, its origins remain firmly rooted in the rich history and cultural heritage of Russia, reflecting the legacy of leadership, authority, and influence embodied by those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Volodarsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Volodarsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Volodarsky 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 Volodarsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Volodarsky
Volodarsky appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,787 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 Volodarsky 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 | #149,395 | #154,182 | -3.2% |
| Count | 110 | 103 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Volodarsky bearers went from 110 to 103 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,182.
FAQ
Volodarsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Volodarsky?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Volodarsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Volodarsky?
Volodarsky ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Volodarsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Volodarsky.
Has Volodarsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Volodarsky went from 110 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Volodarsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Volodarsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Volodarsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Volodarsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Black (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Volodarsky (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 Volodarsky mean?
A surname originating from the Russian word "volodary" meaning "ruler" or "master". 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 Volodarsky (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 have the surname Volodarsky?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.