2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Martinchek
An occupational surname derived from the Czech word "martinec" meaning a blacksmith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Martinchek. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Martinchek 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Martinchek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinchek, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Martinchek
The surname Martinchek has its origins in the Czech Republic, tracing back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Moravia, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The name is thought to be derived from the Czech words "martin" meaning "hammer" and "chek" meaning "maker" or "worker," suggesting that the original bearer of this surname may have been a blacksmith or metalworker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Martinchek can be found in a church registry from the town of Brno, dated 1594. This record mentions a certain Jan Martinchek, who was listed as a resident of the town. It is possible that this individual was a descendant of the original Martinchek family, or even the progenitor of the name itself.
In the 17th century, the name Martinchek appears in several historical documents related to the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). There are records of several soldiers bearing this surname serving in various regiments of the Imperial Army during this conflict. One notable figure was Jiri Martinchek (1620-1681), a cavalry officer who fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.
As the Martinchek family spread across Central Europe in subsequent centuries, variations in the spelling of the name began to emerge. Some of these variations include Martincek, Martynchek, and Martincek. These spelling variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciation differences.
Another significant figure in the history of the Martinchek surname was Karel Martinchek (1752-1829), a renowned clockmaker from Prague. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by nobility and the wealthy classes of the time, and several of his works can still be found in museums and private collections today.
In the 19th century, the name Martinchek became associated with the Czech nationalist movement. Vaclav Martinchek (1825-1892) was a prominent educator and author who wrote extensively on Czech language and literature, contributing to the preservation and promotion of Czech cultural identity during a period of intense political and social change in the region.
As the Martinchek family continued to spread across Europe and beyond, the name has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, academics, and professionals. Some notable bearers of the Martinchek surname in more recent times include the Czech writer and journalist Jiri Martinchek (1908-1986), and the Slovak painter and sculptor Milan Martinchek (1936-2015).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martinchek
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinchek, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Martinchek 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 Martinchek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Martinchek
Martinchek 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,736 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,736 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 Martinchek 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 | #147,253 | #152,989 | -3.9% |
| Count | 112 | 105 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Martinchek bearers went from 112 to 105 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,736 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #152,989.
FAQ
Martinchek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Martinchek?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Martinchek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Martinchek?
Martinchek ranks #152,989 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.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Martinchek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
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 Martinchek.
Has Martinchek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Martinchek went from 112 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Martinchek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinchek, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Martinchek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Martinchek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Martinchek (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 Martinchek mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Czech word "martinec" meaning a blacksmith or metalworker. 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 Martinchek (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.
How many people share the surname Martinchek?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.