2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Botek
A locational surname from the Czech Republic, derived from places called Boteč or Botiče.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Botek. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Botek 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Botek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Botek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Botek
The surname BOTEK has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is believed to have emerged in the 14th century, although the earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century.
BOTEK is thought to be derived from the Czech word "botek," which means "a small boot" or "a half-boot." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, referring to a person who made or sold boots or other footwear.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Jan Botek, a shoemaker who lived in the town of Litomyšl, located in what is now the Czech Republic. He is mentioned in a town registry from the year 1573.
In the 17th century, the name BOTEK appeared in several historical documents, including parish records and land registers. For instance, Jakub Botek was a landowner in the village of Čechy pod Kosířem, recorded in 1642.
During the 18th century, the surname spread to other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including present-day Hungary and Austria. Notably, Tomáš Botek, a renowned Czech writer and philosopher, was born in 1763 and made significant contributions to the Czech literary renaissance.
Another notable figure bearing the BOTEK surname was Václav Botek, a Czech painter and illustrator who lived from 1818 to 1887. His works captured scenes from everyday life in rural Bohemia and are considered important examples of 19th-century Czech art.
In the late 19th century, the BOTEK name began to appear in records of immigrants arriving in the United States from Czechoslovakia. One such individual was Josef Botek, who settled in Chicago in 1892 and worked as a carpenter.
While the surname BOTEK is not among the most common Czech or Slovak surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Botek
Among Census respondents with the surname Botek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Botek 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 Botek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 98
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Botek
Botek 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+12 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,831 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-26 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 22,549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,831 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -26 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 22,549 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 Botek 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 | #132,206 | #154,755 | -17.1% |
| Count | 128 | 102 | -20.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Botek bearers went from 128 to 102 (-20.3% change). The surname moved down 22,549 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #154,755.
FAQ
Botek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Botek?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Botek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Botek?
Botek ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Botek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Botek.
Has Botek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Botek went from 128 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 26 (-20.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Botek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Botek, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Botek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Botek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Botek (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 Botek mean?
A locational surname from the Czech Republic, derived from places called Boteč or Botiče. 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 Botek (0.03 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 Botek?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Botek, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.