The Bednar surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,151 people carried this name — #7,968 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 70,900 people counted. That is up 4% from 3,994 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Bednar surname

From Czech Bednář.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bednar» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Poland’s population register

102 people named Bednar have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 161 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 9 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Lesser Poland 49
Silesian 14
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 12
Lower Silesian 8
Lubusz 6
Łódź 4
West Pomeranian 4
Pomeranian 3

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

41 people named Bednar live in Switzerland.

They live in 3 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 35
Aargau 3
Thurgau 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 27 people named Bednar.

3 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 3
Paris 11
Nièvre 7
Moselle 2
Aisne 1
Loire 1
Seine-et-Marne 1
Val-de-Marne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In national population registers

22 people named Bednar is counted in Slovenia.

Slovenia counts its residents on 1 January 2026.

Counted, by country

Slovenia (2026) 22

Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), SiStat tables 05X1015S–05X1018S, family names of the population, 1 January 2026 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Bednar in American newspapers,
1906.

Newspaper page from The Washington Times carrying the name Bednar
The Washington Times 1906-12-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

Who carried it

People named Bednar,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Franz Bednar 1908–1986 · politician
  • Franz Bednar 1910–1987 · bobsledder
  • Robert Bednar 1911–1993 · bobsledder
  • Rudolf Bednar 1920–2003 · politician
  • Heinrich Bednar 1922–2000 · table tennis player

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Bednar,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States460 records

460 records of the Bednar name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 186
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 121
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 61
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 36
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 29
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 25
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Stephen L. Bednar

    Born 1907 in Czechoslovakia. Enlisted 1942 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1965, buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catharina Bednar

    Arrived at Baltimore in 1860 aboard the Johanne Wilhelmine from Bremen, aged 15; weaver. From Seegenthal, Bohemia; bound for Chicago.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Stephen Andrew Bednar

    Born 1950; from Greenville, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, medical specialist; died of illness 1971 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 460 records for Bednar in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Netherlands13 records

13 records of the Bednar name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 10
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Stefanie Karoline Bednar

    Married in 1938 in 's-Gravenhage; nurse.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Friedrich Franz Bednar

    Married in 1931 in Velsen; fitter.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Jos Bednar

    In the population register of Swalmen.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Roermond (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Bednar in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France9 records

9 records of the Bednar name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles Bednar

    Born 1925 in Arcueil (Val-de-Marne); died 2000 in Sens (Yonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Elena Bednar

    Born 1919 in Russia; died 1998 in Champcueil (Essonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Daniel Bednar

    Born 1937 in Suilly-la-Tour; died 1981 in Suilly-la-Tour (Nièvre).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Bednar in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany6 records

6 records of the Bednar name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Bednar

    From Böhm.-Rothwasser. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 20 September 1916 (Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 3).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Anton Bednar

    From Ruda. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 3 July 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Bednar in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Canada4 records

4 records of the Bednar name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 3
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Otto Karl Bednar

    Buried in 1974 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 75.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John William Bednar

    Died 1973 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 69.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Appllonia Bednar

    Buried in 1983 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 4 records for Bednar in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia1 record

1 record of the Bednar name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Stephan Bednar

    Sailed from Victoria in 1911 aboard the Gneisenau II, bound for Sydney, aged 29.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bednar.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bednar is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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