2000
#44,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 450
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Martinec
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "son of Martin."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 549 Americans carry the last name Martinec. That puts it at #47,689 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 624,325 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Martinec 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
549
1 in 624,325
Census rank
#47,689
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
479
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 479 bearers of the surname Martinec in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 47689th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinec, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Martinec
The surname Martinec originated in the Czech Republic during the 13th century. It is derived from the personal name Martinek, which is a diminutive form of the name Martin. The name Martin itself can be traced back to the Roman name Martinus, which was derived from the name of the Roman god Mars.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Martinec can be found in medieval Czech records and manuscripts. One notable example is the mention of a Jakub Martinec in a land registry document from the town of Kutná Hora, dated 1387.
During the 15th century, the surname Martinec began to spread beyond the Czech lands as people migrated to other parts of Europe. In 1492, a certain Hans Martinec was recorded as a resident of the city of Nuremberg in Germany.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Martinec was Jan Martinec, a Czech Protestant reformer who lived from 1490 to 1564. He was a prominent figure in the Hussite movement and played a role in the spread of Protestant ideas in Bohemia.
Another notable individual with the surname Martinec was Václav Martinec, a Czech painter and engraver who lived from 1589 to 1667. He is known for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches and museums across the Czech Republic.
In the 18th century, the surname Martinec also appeared in records from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. For example, a Franz Martinec was born in 1732 in the town of Brno, which was then part of the Habsburg Monarchy.
During the 19th century, the surname Martinec began to appear in records from other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with significant Czech or Slovak populations. One notable example is the Czech-American writer and journalist Jan Martinec, who was born in 1863 and immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century.
Another individual of note was the Czech writer and playwright Karel Martinec, who lived from 1892 to 1964. He is best known for his plays and novels that explored themes of Czech identity and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martinec
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinec, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Martinec 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 Martinec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 344
- Hispanic or Latino25.7% · 123
- Two or more races1.7% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Martinec
Martinec 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
#43,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 491
+41 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 1,010 places
2020
#47,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 479
-12 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 3,804 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,895 | 450 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,885 | 491 | 0.17 | +41 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 1,010 places |
| 2020 | #47,689 | 479 | 0.16 | -12 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 3,804 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 Martinec 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 | #43,885 | #47,689 | -8.7% |
| Count | 491 | 479 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.16 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Martinec bearers went from 491 to 479 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 3,804 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,885 to #47,689.
FAQ
Martinec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Martinec?
Name Census estimates that about 549 living Americans carry the surname Martinec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 624,325 residents.
How common is Martinec?
Martinec ranks #47,689 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 479 people with the surname Martinec. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (549), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Martinec.
Has Martinec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Martinec went from 491 recorded bearers to 479. That is a decrease of 12 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,885 to #47,689.
What does the Census say about the background of Martinec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinec, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Martinec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Martinec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Hispanic (25.7%), Two or More Races (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.
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 Martinec (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 Martinec mean?
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "son of Martin." 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 Martinec (0.16 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 Martinec?
You can see how many people have the surname Martinec on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.