2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zdinak
A Slavic surname possibly derived from the word "zdina", meaning stone wall or foundation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Zdinak. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zdinak 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Zdinak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zdinak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zdinak
The surname Zdinak has its origins in the Slavic regions of Central and Eastern Europe, most notably within modern-day Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Tracing its etymological roots to the medieval period, Zdinak likely stems from the old Slavic word "Zdeněk," which means "to build" or "builder." This connection suggests that early bearers of the surname might have been associated with construction, masonry, or other building trades.
The name Zdinak first appeared in historical records in the 14th century, during a time of significant socio-economic development in Central Europe. It was a period marked by increased documentation and record-keeping, including tax registries and land deeds. One of the earliest mentions comes from a 1351 land deed in what is now central Slovakia, which refers to a Miroslav Zdinak, a local landowner and builder.
Variations of the surname existed over the centuries, subjected to the linguistic flux characteristic of the region. In 1456, a Zdenek Zdynak was recorded in the royal census of King Ladislaus the Posthumous in the Czech lands. This variation in spelling underscores the phonetic interpretations and slight orthographic adjustments that would occur over time.
One notable figure in the early modern period is Jan Zdinak (1589-1654), a Czech mathematician and astronomer whose work in the fields of trigonometry and celestial navigation earned him a position at the Charles University in Prague. His contributions included early charts that navigators used for sea voyages across the Atlantic.
The surname continued to manifest in Slovakia, with another notable individual, Katarina Zdinak (1743-1810), a folklorist and writer who collected and chronicled traditional Slovak songs and stories. Her works were posthumously published in the early 19th century and are considered a vital repository of Slovak cultural heritage.
Moving into the 18th century, records from 1787 reference a Jozef Zdinak, an influential figure in Hungarian politics, hailing from what is now the Slovak-Hungarian border. His family, known to have held the surname for multiple generations, contributed to local governance and agricultural reforms.
In the 19th century, an industrialist named Ivan Zdinak (1823-1891) made significant advances in metallurgical processes. Born in the Moravian part of the Austrian Empire, his innovations in steel production played a crucial role in the broader economic development of the region. His factory near Brno remained operational well into the 20th century.
Through these examples, we can observe the surname Zdinak in various contexts ranging from academia and politics to industry and cultural preservation. Each instance reflects a fragment of the broader history and influence of the name across Central European regions.
The surname Zdinak, with its rich history and varied associations, offers a glimpse into the lives and professions of those who bore it, telling a story of their contributions to the cultural and socio-economic fabric of their communities over many centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zdinak
Among Census respondents with the surname Zdinak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zdinak 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 Zdinak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 96
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zdinak
Zdinak 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 962 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 Zdinak 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 | #152,628 | #153,590 | -0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 104 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zdinak bearers went from 107 to 104 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 962 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #153,590.
FAQ
Zdinak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zdinak?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Zdinak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Zdinak?
Zdinak ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Zdinak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Zdinak.
Has Zdinak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zdinak went from 107 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Zdinak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zdinak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Zdinak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zdinak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Zdinak (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 Zdinak mean?
A Slavic surname possibly derived from the word "zdina", meaning stone wall or foundation. 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 Zdinak (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 Zdinak?
You can see how common the surname Zdinak is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.