2000
#138,741
National surname rank
First available Census row
A diminutive surname of Czech or Slovak origin meaning "little dove".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Holubek. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holubek 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Holubek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holubek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
The surname Holubek has its origins in the Czech Republic, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Slavic word "holub," which means "dove" or "pigeon." The root of this name likely referred to someone who raised or kept doves, indicating a profession or association with these birds.
In the 14th century, records show the name spelled as "Holubek" in various regions of what is now the Czech Republic, particularly in Bohemia and Moravia. The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1387, when a certain Jan Holubek was mentioned in a land registry document from the town of Nové Město nad Metují.
The Holubek name appeared in several historical manuscripts and chronicles from the 15th and 16th centuries, suggesting it was a well-established surname during this period. One notable reference is found in the Hussite Wars chronicles, where a soldier named Václav Holubek is mentioned as fighting alongside Jan Žižka's forces.
During the 17th century, the Holubek name spread to other parts of Europe, including Poland and Slovakia, as people migrated from the Czech lands. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the Austrian Empire, and the name took on variations such as "Holubek" and "Holubek."
Among the notable individuals who bore the Holubek surname throughout history are:
1. Jan Holubek (c. 1440-1510), a renowned Czech painter and illuminator of manuscripts during the Renaissance period.
2. Matěj Holubek (1570-1642), a Bohemian philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Prague.
3. Anna Holubek (1795-1868), a Polish writer and poet known for her romantic and patriotic works.
4. Josef Holubek (1819-1892), an Austrian architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in Vienna.
5. Petr Holubek (1902-1977), a Czech artist and sculptor known for his modernist works and public monuments.
The Holubek surname has a rich history rooted in the Czech lands, and its meaning has been associated with the dove, a symbol of peace and purity in many cultures. Despite its modest origins, the name has left its mark through the contributions of various individuals across different fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Among Census respondents with the surname Holubek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Holubek 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 Holubek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
Timeline
Holubek 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.
2000
National surname rank
First available Census row
2010
National surname rank
+14 bearers (+12.6%)
2020
National surname rank
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 4,029 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 6,597 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
How has the Holubek surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #134,712 | #141,309 | -4.9% |
| Count | 125 | 121 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holubek bearers went from 125 to 121 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 6,597 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #141,309.
FAQ
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Holubek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
Holubek ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Holubek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Holubek.
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holubek went from 125 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #141,309.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holubek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Black (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Holubek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (112 people in the source table).
Holubek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.3%), Black (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.
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 Holubek (2000, 2010, 2020).
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.
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.
A diminutive surname of Czech or Slovak origin meaning "little dove". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
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.
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 Holubek (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.