2000
#17,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Vrabel
A surname derived from the Czech word "vrabec" meaning "sparrow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,508 Americans carry the last name Vrabel. That puts it at #20,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 227,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vrabel 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
1.5K
1 in 227,291
Census rank
#20,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,315 bearers of the surname Vrabel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vrabel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vrabel
The surname Vrabel has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Czech word "vrba," which means "willow tree." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked with willow trees.
During the Middle Ages, the Vrabel surname appeared in various historical records and manuscripts in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. The earliest recorded instance of the name can be traced back to a land registry from the village of Vrábce in 1312.
In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was Jan Vrabel, a renowned blacksmith who lived in Prague. His craftsmanship was highly respected, and he was commissioned to create intricate ironwork for several churches and noble residences in the city.
Another individual worth mentioning is Václav Vrabel (1576-1642), a Jesuit priest and scholar from Moravia. He was known for his extensive knowledge of theology and philosophy and authored several influential works during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Vrabel surname spread beyond the borders of the Czech lands as individuals emigrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One such individual was Jakub Vrabel (1812-1887), who left Bohemia and settled in the United States, becoming a successful farmer in Wisconsin.
A more recent figure of note is Jaroslav Vrabel (1920-2004), a renowned Czech architect and urban planner. He was instrumental in the reconstruction and development of several cities in the Czech Republic after World War II, including Prague and Brno.
The Vrabel surname has also been associated with various place names throughout the Czech Republic, such as Vráble, a town in the western part of the country, and Vrábí, a village in the Highlands region. These place names likely share the same linguistic root as the surname, further emphasizing the connection to willow trees or willow-rich areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vrabel
Among Census respondents with the surname Vrabel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vrabel 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 Vrabel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 1,243
- Two or more races3.0% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 8
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vrabel
Vrabel 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
#19,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,428
-25 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 1,291 places
2020
#20,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,315
-113 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 1,351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,771 | 1,453 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,062 | 1,428 | 0.48 | -25 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,291 places |
| 2020 | #20,413 | 1,315 | 0.44 | -113 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 1,351 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 Vrabel 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 | #19,062 | #20,413 | -7.1% |
| Count | 1,428 | 1,315 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.44 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vrabel bearers went from 1,428 to 1,315 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 1,351 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,062 to #20,413.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vrabel
FAQ
Vrabel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vrabel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,508 living Americans carry the surname Vrabel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 227,291 residents.
How common is Vrabel?
Vrabel ranks #20,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.44 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 1,315 people with the surname Vrabel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,508), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.44 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 Vrabel.
Has Vrabel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vrabel went from 1,428 recorded bearers to 1,315. That is a decrease of 113 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,062 to #20,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Vrabel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vrabel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Vrabel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (1,243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vrabel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Vrabel (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 Vrabel mean?
A surname derived from the Czech word "vrabec" meaning "sparrow". 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 Vrabel (0.44 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 Vrabel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.