2000
#25,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 905
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Janousek
A Czech surname derived from the given name Jan, meaning "God is gracious".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,041 Americans carry the last name Janousek. That puts it at #28,009 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 329,255 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Janousek 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
1.0K
1 in 329,255
Census rank
#28,009
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
908
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 908 bearers of the surname Janousek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28009th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Janousek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Janousek
The surname Janousek is of Czech origin, derived from the personal name Janoušek, which is a diminutive form of the name Jan, the Czech equivalent of John. The name can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, which were part of the Kingdom of Bohemia at the time.
Janousek is believed to have originated as a patronymic surname, meaning it was initially used to identify someone as the son of a person named Janoušek. This practice was common in medieval times when surnames were just starting to become hereditary.
The earliest known record of the surname Janousek can be found in the Liber Viridis, a 14th-century manuscript containing records of land ownership in the town of Chrudim, located in what is now eastern Czech Republic. The document mentions a certain Petr Janousek, who owned a farmstead in the village of Bystřice.
In the 15th century, the surname Janousek appeared in various administrative records and chronicles of the Hussite Wars, which were religious and social upheavals that took place in the Kingdom of Bohemia. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Jan Janousek, a priest and ardent supporter of the Hussite reformist movement, who lived from around 1390 to 1456.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Janousek spread across various regions of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as to other parts of the Holy Roman Empire. A notable figure from this time was Václav Janousek (1542-1617), a prominent merchant and landowner from the town of Kutná Hora, who was involved in the Bohemian Revolt against the Habsburg monarchy.
In the 19th century, a famous bearer of the Janousek surname was Antonín Janousek (1828-1904), a Czech writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Czech National Revival movement, which aimed to revive and promote Czech language and culture.
Another notable individual with the surname Janousek was Ludvík Janousek (1898-1976), a Czech chess grandmaster and one of the strongest players in the world during the 1920s and 1930s. He represented Czechoslovakia in several Chess Olympiads and authored several books on chess theory and strategy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Janousek
Among Census respondents with the surname Janousek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Janousek 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 Janousek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 851
- Two or more races2.6% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Janousek
Janousek 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
#26,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 916
+11 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 988 places
2020
#28,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 908
-8 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,411 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,610 | 905 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,598 | 916 | 0.31 | +11 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 988 places |
| 2020 | #28,009 | 908 | 0.30 | -8 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,411 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 Janousek 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 | #26,598 | #28,009 | -5.3% |
| Count | 916 | 908 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.30 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Janousek bearers went from 916 to 908 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,411 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,598 to #28,009.
FAQ
Janousek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Janousek?
Name Census estimates that about 1,041 living Americans carry the surname Janousek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 329,255 residents.
How common is Janousek?
Janousek ranks #28,009 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 908 people with the surname Janousek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Janousek.
Has Janousek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Janousek went from 916 recorded bearers to 908. That is a decrease of 8 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,598 to #28,009.
What does the Census say about the background of Janousek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Janousek, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Janousek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Janousek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Janousek (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 Janousek mean?
A Czech surname derived from the given name Jan, meaning "God is gracious". 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 Janousek (0.30 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 Americans have the surname Janousek?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.