2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Dostalek
A Czech surname derived from the word "dostat" meaning "to get" or "to receive".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Dostalek. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dostalek 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Dostalek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dostalek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dostalek
The surname Dostalek originates from the Czech Republic and can be traced back to the early 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Czech word "dostalek," which means "enough" or "sufficient," suggesting that the name may have been originally given to someone who had an ample amount of a particular resource or trait.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dostalek can be found in a document from the town of Litomerice in Northern Bohemia, dated around 1420. This document mentions a certain Jan Dostalek, who was a local landowner and farmer.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Dostalek appeared in various records and manuscripts across Bohemia, particularly in the regions around the cities of Prague and Plzen. Some notable individuals bearing this surname from this period include Vaclav Dostalek (1550-1620), a respected scholar and theologian, and Katerina Dostalek (1605-1678), a prominent figure in the Czech Reformation movement.
In the 18th century, the Dostalek family had established a presence in the town of Nelahozeves, north of Prague. One notable member from this lineage was Josef Dostalek (1738-1815), a skilled clockmaker and inventor who was renowned for his innovative timepiece designs.
The 19th century saw the Dostalek name spread more widely across the Czech lands, with notable individuals such as Frantisek Dostalek (1825-1892), a renowned painter and artist who specialized in landscapes and portraits, and Jaroslav Dostalek (1870-1936), a celebrated architect who designed numerous iconic buildings in Prague and other cities.
As the 20th century dawned, the Dostalek surname continued to be well-represented in various fields. Karel Dostalek (1905-1988) was a respected linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Slavic languages, while Jiri Dostalek (1920-1998) was a renowned playwright and screenwriter whose works explored themes of social justice and human resilience.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dostalek
Among Census respondents with the surname Dostalek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dostalek 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 Dostalek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.0% · 5
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dostalek
Dostalek appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-2 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,750 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 2,750 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 Dostalek 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 | #158,432 | #155,682 | 1.7% |
| Count | 102 | 100 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dostalek bearers went from 102 to 100 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 2,750 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #155,682.
FAQ
Dostalek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dostalek?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Dostalek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Dostalek?
Dostalek ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Dostalek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Dostalek.
Has Dostalek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dostalek went from 102 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 2 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Dostalek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dostalek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Dostalek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dostalek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Dostalek (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 Dostalek mean?
A Czech surname derived from the word "dostat" meaning "to get" or "to receive". 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 Dostalek (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 Dostalek?
Want to know how many people have the surname Dostalek? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.