2000
#47,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 416
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Martinka
A surname of Slovak origin meaning "little Martin", likely denoting the son of someone named Martin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 531 Americans carry the last name Martinka. That puts it at #49,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 645,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Martinka 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
531
1 in 645,488
Census rank
#49,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
463
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 463 bearers of the surname Martinka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinka, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Martinka
The surname Martinka is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in present-day Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. The name is likely derived from the Latin name Martinus, which itself comes from the Roman god Mars, the god of war.
Martinka is thought to be a diminutive form of the name Martin, with the suffix "-ka" being a common Slavic diminutive ending. This suggests that the name may have initially been a patronymic, denoting "son of Martin" or "little Martin."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Martinka can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of medieval documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic). In this codex, a certain Martinka de Praga is mentioned in a document dated 1352.
Another notable early reference is found in the Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie, a collection of Polish court records from the 15th to 18th centuries. Here, a Martinka Wołoszyn is mentioned in a document from 1488, indicating the presence of the name in Poland during that period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Martinka was Jan Martinka, a Czech painter and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries (c. 1570-1628). His works can be found in various churches and collections in the Czech Republic.
Another notable Martinka was Tomáš Martinka (1722-1784), a Slovak Catholic priest and writer who authored several religious works and translations during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, Antonín Martinka (1826-1889) was a Czech mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education in Bohemia.
Moving into the 20th century, Bohumil Martinka (1890-1959) was a Czech painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraits. His works can be found in several art galleries in the Czech Republic.
Finally, Jiří Martinka (1909-1994) was a prominent Czech architect who designed several notable buildings in Prague and other parts of the country during the mid-20th century.
While the name Martinka is most commonly found in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martinka
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinka, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Martinka 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 Martinka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 447
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 8
- Black or African American1.1% · 5
- Two or more races0.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Martinka
Martinka 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
#45,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
+52 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 2,185 places
2020
#49,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 463
-5 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 3,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,838 | 416 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,653 | 468 | 0.16 | +52 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 2,185 places |
| 2020 | #49,150 | 463 | 0.15 | -5 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 3,497 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 Martinka 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 | #45,653 | #49,150 | -7.7% |
| Count | 468 | 463 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.15 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Martinka bearers went from 468 to 463 (-1.1% change). The surname moved down 3,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,653 to #49,150.
FAQ
Martinka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Martinka?
Name Census estimates that about 531 living Americans carry the surname Martinka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 645,488 residents.
How common is Martinka?
Martinka ranks #49,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 463 people with the surname Martinka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (531), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Martinka.
Has Martinka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Martinka went from 468 recorded bearers to 463. That is a decrease of 5 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #45,653 to #49,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Martinka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinka, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (1.1%). 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 Martinka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (447 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Martinka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Hispanic (1.7%), Black (1.1%). 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 Martinka (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 Martinka mean?
A surname of Slovak origin meaning "little Martin", likely denoting the son of someone named 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 Martinka (0.15 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 are called Martinka?
You can see how many people are called Martinka on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.