2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Yurcak
A surname derived from a diminutive form of a Slavic personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Yurcak. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yurcak 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Yurcak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yurcak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yurcak
The surname Yurcak has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically within the regions of Ukraine and Slovakia. The name is believed to have emerged around the 13th to 15th centuries, a period marked by the intense social and political changes in these areas. It is derived from the Slavic word "Jurek" or "Jurko," which is a diminutive form of "Yuriy," corresponding to the more widely known name "George" in English. The suffix "-ak" is a common diminutive or patronymic ending in Slavic languages, implying "little Yuriy" or "son of Yuriy."
Historical references to the surname Yurcak are relatively sparse, but its variations and phonetic equivalents can be traced in old records and manuscripts. One of the earliest references is found in 14th-century church documents from what is now Western Ukraine, where the name was transcribed in Cyrillic as Юрчак. A similar version, Yurcsák, appears in Hungarian records due to the overlapping influences in the Carpathian region.
The surname Yurcak appears in a few significant historical documents. In the Register of Nobility in Ruthenia from the early 16th century, Ivan Yurcak is noted for being a minor noble who swore fealty to the King of Poland. Although not widely prominent, individuals with this surname often held positions of local importance, such as village leaders or estate managers.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname in its Latin script form appears in 1571, with Andriy Yurcak, an official in the court of the Transylvanian Voivode. Another notable bearer is Stefan Yurcak, a priest documented in church records from 1622 in present-day Slovakia. Stefan's extensive work in the parish during a period of religious upheaval earned him a place in local history.
Famous individuals bearing the surname include Mykola Yurcak, a prominent 19th-century Ukrainian poet and advocate for national liberation, born in 1825 and died in 1896. In more recent history, Yuriy Yurcak, a World War II veteran who played a role in the resistance movements against Nazi occupation, remains a well-respected figure in Ukrainian history, with his birth in 1917 and his passing in 1983.
The geographical dispersion of the surname has led to various spells and adaptations. For instance, in Transcarpathia, the name is sometimes found as Jurcak, reflecting the phonetic qualities of local dialects. Each of these regional variations underscores the surname's deep roots and the complex migratory patterns of Slavic peoples.
Throughout its history, the surname Yurcak has been borne by individuals who contributed to their communities in meaningful ways, whether as local leaders, clergy, poets, or freedom fighters. Despite the lack of extensive documentation in comparison to more ubiquitous surnames, its presence in historical records highlights its enduring legacy in Eastern European history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yurcak
Among Census respondents with the surname Yurcak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Yurcak 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 Yurcak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yurcak
Yurcak 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+3 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,733 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-24 bearers (-18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,888 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 5,733 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-18.2%) | Down 21,888 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 Yurcak 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 | #129,047 | #150,935 | -17.0% |
| Count | 132 | 108 | -18.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yurcak bearers went from 132 to 108 (-18.2% change). The surname moved down 21,888 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #150,935.
FAQ
Yurcak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yurcak?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Yurcak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Yurcak?
Yurcak ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Yurcak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Yurcak.
Has Yurcak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yurcak went from 132 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 24 (-18.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Yurcak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yurcak, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%). 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 Yurcak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yurcak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%). 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 Yurcak (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 Yurcak mean?
A surname derived from a diminutive form of a Slavic personal name. 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 Yurcak (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 Yurcak?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Yurcak, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.