Explore the Family Name Palka
The meaning of Palka
1. Polish (Pałka) and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic; also Pałka): from Polish pałka ‘truncheon, club’, used as a nickname applied either to a thin or stiff person, or to one who used a truncheon as a weapon. 2. Slovak (mainly Pálka): from páľka ‘quantity of products fired at one time’ or ‘burning pottery products in the furnace’, probably used as a metonymic occupational name (for a potter). Some characteristic forenames: Polish Stanislaw, Elzbieta, Krystyna, Krzysztof, Rafal, Ryszard, Zbigniew.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Palka in the United States?
According to the Popularity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Palka ranked 20,960th in terms of popularity in 2000 and then dropped slightly to rank 21,842nd by 2010, a change of -4.21%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of people with the Palka surname increased by 1.8% during this decade, rising from 1,169 in 2000 to 1,190 in 2010. This increase was not enough to keep up with the overall population growth, however, as the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 individuals decreased by 6.98%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #20,960 | #21,842 | -4.21% |
| Count | 1,169 | 1,190 | 1.8% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.43 | 0.4 | -6.98% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Palka
The Ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of people with the Palka surname identify as White, although the percentage decreased slightly from 97.26% in 2000 to 95.71% in 2010. The data also shows an increase in the proportion of people with this surname who identify as Hispanic, from 1.37% in 2000 to 1.60% in 2010. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the proportion of people identifying as Two or more races, jumping from 0.86% in 2000 to 1.43% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander remained suppressed for privacy reasons, while no individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 97.26% | 95.71% | -1.59% |
| Hispanic | 1.37% | 1.6% | 16.79% |
| Two or More Races | 0.86% | 1.43% | 66.28% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.92% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |