2000
#16,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,578
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Macek
Of Slavic origin, an occupational surname referring to one who grew or dealt with poppies.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,740 Americans carry the last name Macek. That puts it at #18,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 196,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Macek 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
1.7K
1 in 196,985
Census rank
#18,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,517 bearers of the surname Macek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Macek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Macek
The surname MACEK is of Czech origin, and it first emerged in the 14th century in the region of Bohemia, which is now part of the modern-day Czech Republic. The name is derived from the Slavic word "macek," which means "little warrior" or "little fighter." This suggests that the name may have been originally given as a nickname to someone who was known for their brave or courageous nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MACEK can be found in the Liber Vetustissimus Antiquae Civitatis Pragensis, a 14th-century manuscript that contains records of the city of Prague. This document mentions a certain "Petrus Macek," who was a prominent citizen of Prague during that time period.
In the 15th century, the surname MACEK can be found in various historical records from the region of Moravia, which was another part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. For example, a man named Jan MACEK is mentioned in a legal document from the town of Olomouc, dated 1473.
As the name spread throughout Central Europe, it also took on slightly different spellings in different regions. For instance, in some areas of modern-day Slovakia, the surname was spelled "Maczek," while in parts of Poland, it was sometimes written as "Maciek."
One notable individual with the surname MACEK was Josef MACEK (1922-2015), a Czech historian and academic who specialized in the history of the Czech lands during the Middle Ages. He authored numerous books and scholarly works on topics such as the Hussite Wars and the reign of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
Another prominent figure was Alois MACEK (1838-1896), a Czech politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Bohemian Diet and the Imperial Council of Austria. He was a prominent advocate for Czech national rights and played a role in the Czech National Revival movement of the 19th century.
In the world of literature, the name MACEK is associated with the Czech writer and poet Jarmila MACEKOVA (1898-1987), who was known for her works depicting rural life in Moravia. Her most famous novel, "Sirotci pismo" (The Orphan's Letter), was published in 1932.
Additionally, the surname MACEK has been linked to several notable athletes, including the Czech ice hockey player Vaclav MACEK (1965-2012), who played in the National Hockey League for teams such as the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers.
Finally, the name MACEK has also been associated with various place names in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, such as the village of Macekov in the Nitra Region of western Slovakia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Macek
Among Census respondents with the surname Macek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Macek 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 Macek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 1,413
- Two or more races3.2% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Macek
Macek 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
#17,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,592
+14 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 957 places
2020
#18,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,517
-75 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 460 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,694 | 1,578 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,651 | 1,592 | 0.54 | +14 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 957 places |
| 2020 | #18,111 | 1,517 | 0.51 | -75 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 460 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 Macek 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 | #17,651 | #18,111 | -2.6% |
| Count | 1,592 | 1,517 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.51 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Macek bearers went from 1,592 to 1,517 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 460 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,651 to #18,111.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Macek
FAQ
Macek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Macek?
Name Census estimates that about 1,740 living Americans carry the surname Macek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 196,985 residents.
How common is Macek?
Macek ranks #18,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,517 people with the surname Macek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,740), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Macek.
Has Macek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Macek went from 1,592 recorded bearers to 1,517. That is a decrease of 75 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,651 to #18,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Macek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Macek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Macek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (1,413 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Macek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Macek (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 Macek mean?
Of Slavic origin, an occupational surname referring to one who grew or dealt with poppies. 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 Macek (0.51 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 common is the surname Macek?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Macek at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.