Vaclav
A masculine name of Czech origin meaning "to increase glory".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Vaclav. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vaclav today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vaclav births was 1915 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vaclav. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Vaclav. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1915
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1921 SSA rank
#4,929
Tracked since 1915
Census
Vaclav in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 266 people with the first name Vaclav, which placed it at #31,950 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#31,950
National first-name rank
People counted
266
266 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
94.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaclav
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vaclav is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Vaclav 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Vaclav at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 252
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Popularity
Vaclav: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vaclav from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vaclav by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Vaclav during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vaclav
The name Vaclav has its origins in the Czech language and culture, with a recorded history dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Slavic root "vlad," meaning "to rule" or "to govern," combined with the prefix "va," which may have been a diminutive or affectionate form.
One of the earliest known references to the name Vaclav appears in the "Chronica Boëmorum," a medieval chronicle written in the 12th century, which recounts the life of Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (c. 907-935). The Latin form of his name, "Wenceslaus," is believed to be a Latinized version of the Czech "Vaclav."
The popularity of the name Vaclav can be attributed, in part, to the veneration of Saint Wenceslaus, who is considered the patron saint of the Czech lands and is celebrated annually on September 28th. His life and martyrdom have been immortalized in various literary works, including the famous medieval carol "Good King Wenceslas."
Other notable historical figures bearing the name Vaclav include Vaclav Havel (1936-2011), a playwright, essayist, and the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic after the Velvet Revolution. His leadership and advocacy for human rights and democracy earned him international recognition, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Another significant figure was Vaclav Laurin (1865-1930), a Czech engineer and industrialist who co-founded the Laurin & Klement automotive company, which later became the renowned Skoda Auto. His contributions to the automotive industry left a lasting impact on Czech manufacturing and engineering.
In the realm of science, Vaclav Prokhovnik (1896-1967) was a prominent Czech physicist and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II. His work played a crucial role in the advancement of modern radar systems.
The name Vaclav has also been carried by notable figures in the arts, such as Vaclav Nizhinsky (1889-1950), a legendary Russian ballet dancer and choreographer who revolutionized the art form with his innovative and expressive performances.
While the name Vaclav has its roots in Czech culture, it has transcended borders and gained recognition worldwide, reflecting the diverse and rich tapestry of human history and accomplishments associated with this name.
People
Vaclav + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vaclav as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vaclav: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vaclav?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vaclav going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Vaclav a common name?
We classify Vaclav as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vaclav most popular?
The single biggest year for Vaclav was 1915, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vaclav is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vaclav in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 266 people with the name Vaclav, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,950 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Vaclav in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Vaclav?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vaclav appears almost entirely male. Of the 264 people counted with this name, 99.2% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Vaclav?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vaclav is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Vaclav most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Vaclav in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (252 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Vaclav in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vaclav a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vaclav in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Vaclav still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vaclav in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Vaclav can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Vaclav?
You can see how many people share the name Vaclav on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.