2000
#29,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 753
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Novacek
A Czech surname derived from the word "nový" meaning "new".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 925 Americans carry the last name Novacek. That puts it at #30,865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 370,545 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Novacek 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
925
1 in 370,545
Census rank
#30,865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
807
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 807 bearers of the surname Novacek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Novacek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Novacek
The surname Novacek is of Czech origin and dates back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Czech word "novy," meaning "new," and the suffix "-acek," which was commonly used to indicate a diminutive or endearment. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was new to a particular area or community.
Novacek is a relatively common surname in the Czech Republic, and it has been documented in historical records from the region. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Liber Viridis, a medieval land registry from the early 15th century, which mentions a Jan Novacek from the town of Kutná Hora.
Another notable early bearer of the surname was Vaclav Novacek, a Czech composer and organist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the organist at the Church of St. Vitus in Prague and composed several works for the organ and choir.
In the 18th century, a priest named Frantisek Novacek (1724-1798) gained recognition for his work as a botanist and naturalist. He authored several publications on the flora and fauna of Bohemia and helped to establish one of the first botanical gardens in the region.
During the 19th century, the Novacek surname appeared in various historical records and documents related to the Czech lands, which were then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. One notable figure from this period was Josef Novacek (1828-1898), a Czech politician and journalist who played a role in the Czech national revival movement.
Another significant bearer of the Novacek name was Vaclav Novacek (1849-1922), a Czech painter and illustrator who is renowned for his depictions of Czech landscapes and folk life. His works are held in several prestigious art collections, including the National Gallery in Prague.
While the surname Novacek is primarily associated with the Czech Republic and its historical regions, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration. However, detailed historical references and records from outside the Czech lands are relatively scarce, as the name is firmly rooted in its Czech origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Novacek
Among Census respondents with the surname Novacek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Novacek 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 Novacek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 747
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 31
- Two or more races2.7% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Novacek
Novacek 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
#28,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 836
+83 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 1,018 places
2020
#30,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 807
-29 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 2,340 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,543 | 753 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,525 | 836 | 0.28 | +83 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 1,018 places |
| 2020 | #30,865 | 807 | 0.27 | -29 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 2,340 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 Novacek 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 | #28,525 | #30,865 | -8.2% |
| Count | 836 | 807 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.27 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Novacek bearers went from 836 to 807 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 2,340 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,525 to #30,865.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Novacek
FAQ
Novacek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Novacek?
Name Census estimates that about 925 living Americans carry the surname Novacek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 370,545 residents.
How common is Novacek?
Novacek ranks #30,865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 807 people with the surname Novacek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (925), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Novacek.
Has Novacek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Novacek went from 836 recorded bearers to 807. That is a decrease of 29 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,525 to #30,865.
What does the Census say about the background of Novacek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Novacek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Novacek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Novacek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Novacek (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 Novacek mean?
A Czech surname derived from the word "nový" meaning "new". 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 Novacek (0.27 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 have the last name Novacek?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Novacek at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.