2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vranek
A Czech surname derived from the word "vran" meaning crow or raven.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Vranek. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vranek 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Vranek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vranek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vranek
The surname Vranek has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Czech word "vran," which means "crow." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a place frequented by crows or had some association with these birds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vranek can be found in a document from the town of Chrudim, located in the Pardubice region of the Czech Republic. The document, dated 1287, mentions a man named Vranec, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the name.
The name Vranek also appears in several medieval manuscripts, including the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia. In one entry from 1312, a man named Vratko Vranek is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
During the 15th century, the name Vranek became more widespread throughout Bohemia and Moravia, which were part of the Crown of Bohemia at the time. Several notable individuals with this surname emerged, including Jan Vranek, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in Prague during the latter half of the 15th century.
Another notable figure was Vaclav Vranek, a Czech theologian and philosopher who was born in 1492 and died in 1561. He was a respected academic and served as the rector of the University of Prague for several years.
In the 16th century, the Vranek family established a presence in the town of Kutná Hora, which was an important center of silver mining during that period. One member of the family, Jakub Vranek, born in 1538 and died in 1612, was a prominent mine owner and entrepreneur in the region.
The name Vranek also appears in historical records from other parts of Central Europe, such as Austria and Germany, suggesting that members of the family may have migrated or established branches in these areas over time.
Throughout the centuries, the Vranek surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Vranek, Vraneck, Wraneck, and Wranetzky. These variations can be found in different historical documents and may reflect regional dialects or spelling conventions of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vranek
Among Census respondents with the surname Vranek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vranek 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 Vranek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vranek
Vranek 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,228 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+11 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 18,228 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 10,287 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 Vranek 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 | #156,044 | #145,757 | 6.6% |
| Count | 104 | 115 | 10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vranek bearers went from 104 to 115 (+10.6% change). The surname moved up 10,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #145,757.
FAQ
Vranek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vranek?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Vranek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Vranek?
Vranek ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Vranek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Vranek.
Has Vranek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vranek went from 104 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 11 (+10.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Vranek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vranek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Vranek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vranek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%), Two or More Races (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 Vranek (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 Vranek mean?
A Czech surname derived from the word "vran" meaning crow or raven. 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 Vranek (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 are called Vranek?
Want to know how many people have the surname Vranek? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.