2000
#4,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Rare Last name
Dvorak
From the Czech word "dvůr" meaning courtyard or manor house, indicating an individual who lived or worked at such a place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,856 Americans carry the last name Dvorak. That puts it at #4,453 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dvorak 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
8.9K
1 in 38,703
Census rank
#4,453
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,723 bearers of the surname Dvorak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4453rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dvorak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dvorak
The surname Dvorak originated in the Czech Republic, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Czech word "dvor," which means "courtyard" or "farmstead." The name likely referred to someone who lived or worked on a farmstead or manor.
Dvorak is a common surname in the Czech Republic, as well as in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Czech documents and records, often spelled as "Dworák" or "Dworak."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Václav Dworak, a Czech nobleman who lived in the 14th century. He was mentioned in several historical documents from that time period, including land records and legal documents.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the records of the Hussite Wars, a series of religious and political conflicts in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic). Several Dvoraks were listed as participants in these wars, which played a significant role in shaping the region's history.
The Dvorak surname gained further prominence in the 19th century with the rise of the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era and is known for his incorporation of Bohemian and Moravian folk melodies into his works.
Another notable figure with the Dvorak surname was the American educator and writer Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937), who served as the first President of Czechoslovakia from 1918 to 1935. His mother's maiden name was Dvorak, and he was born in the town of Hodonín, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time.
In the 20th century, the Dvorak surname was also associated with the American computer scientist and philosopher William Dvorak (1921-2008), who co-invented the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard layout, an alternative to the standard QWERTY keyboard.
While the Dvorak surname has its roots in the Czech Republic, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, the name's origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Czech lands and the rich cultural heritage of Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dvorak
Among Census respondents with the surname Dvorak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dvorak 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 Dvorak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 7,123
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 263
- Two or more races2.8% · 219
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 35
- Black or African American0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dvorak
Dvorak 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
#4,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,771
+155 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 251 places
2020
#4,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,723
-48 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Up 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,311 | 7,616 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,562 | 7,771 | 2.63 | +155 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 251 places |
| 2020 | #4,453 | 7,723 | 2.58 | -48 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 109 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 Dvorak 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 | #4,562 | #4,453 | 2.4% |
| Count | 7,771 | 7,723 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 2.58 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dvorak bearers went from 7,771 to 7,723 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,562 to #4,453.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dvorak
FAQ
Dvorak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dvorak?
Name Census estimates that about 8,856 living Americans carry the surname Dvorak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,703 residents.
How common is Dvorak?
Dvorak ranks #4,453 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,723 people with the surname Dvorak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,856), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Dvorak.
Has Dvorak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dvorak went from 7,771 recorded bearers to 7,723. That is a decrease of 48 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,562 to #4,453.
What does the Census say about the background of Dvorak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dvorak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (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 Dvorak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (7,123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dvorak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (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 Dvorak (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 Dvorak mean?
From the Czech word "dvůr" meaning courtyard or manor house, indicating an individual who lived or worked at such a place. 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 Dvorak (2.58 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 Dvorak?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Dvorak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.