2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Jencik
A surname originating from the Czech Republic and derived from the Czech diminutive of John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Jencik. 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 Jencik 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 Jencik 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 Jencik, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jencik
The surname JENCIK is of Czech origin, tracing its roots back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Czech word "jenec," which means "prisoner" or "captive." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who had been held captive or imprisoned, perhaps during one of the many conflicts that took place in Central Europe during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name JENCIK can be found in a 15th-century document from the town of Kutná Hora, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. The document, dated 1457, mentions a certain Jan JENCIK, who was a local landowner and farmer.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name JENCIK began to appear more frequently in various records and manuscripts from the Czech lands, particularly in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Matěj JENCIK (1582-1639), a renowned clockmaker from Prague, and Václav JENCIK (1627-1694), a Catholic priest and theologian who served in the town of Litomyšl.
As the name JENCIK spread across Central Europe, it also underwent some variations in spelling and pronunciation. In some areas, it was written as JENCZIK or JENCZYK, while in others it was pronounced with a softer "ch" sound, similar to the English "h."
One of the most famous individuals with the surname JENCIK was Jan Václav JENCIK (1788-1857), a Czech composer and conductor who was a contemporary of Ludwig van Beethoven. His works, which included operas, symphonies, and chamber music, were highly regarded in his time and helped to establish the Czech musical tradition.
Another notable JENCIK was Karel JENCIK (1864-1928), a Czech painter and illustrator who was part of the Art Nouveau movement. His works, which often depicted scenes from Czech folklore and mythology, were widely exhibited and celebrated throughout Europe.
In more recent times, the surname JENCIK has been carried by individuals such as the Czech writer and journalist Miloslav JENCIK (1919-2001), and the Czech ice hockey player Jiří JENCIK (born 1976), who played for several teams in the Czech Extraliga and represented the Czech Republic in international competitions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jencik
Among Census respondents with the surname Jencik, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jencik 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 Jencik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 94
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jencik
Jencik 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 Jencik 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 Jencik 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
Jencik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jencik?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Jencik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Jencik?
Jencik 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 Jencik. 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 Jencik.
Has Jencik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jencik 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 Jencik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jencik, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) 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 Jencik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jencik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%), 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 Jencik (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 Jencik mean?
A surname originating from the Czech Republic and derived from the Czech diminutive of John. 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 Jencik (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 many people share the surname Jencik?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.