2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Medvecky
A surname of Slovak origin meaning "little bear" or "young bear".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Medvecky. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Medvecky 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Medvecky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Medvecky, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Medvecky
The surname Medvecky is of Slovak origin, derived from the Slovak word "medveď" meaning "bear". It likely originated in the mountainous regions of central Slovakia during the medieval period, where bears were prevalent in the forests and wilderness areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Medvecky dates back to the 15th century, when it appeared in a local tax record from the village of Ružomberok in the Liptov region of northern Slovakia. This region was known for its bear hunting traditions and it is possible that the name was initially given as a nickname or descriptor to someone involved in hunting bears or living in an area frequented by bears.
In the 16th century, the name Medvecky can be found in several church records and land registries from villages in the Orava and Kysuce regions of northern Slovakia, indicating that the name had spread to these areas by this time.
One notable figure with the surname Medvecky was Ján Medvecký (1620-1678), a Slovak Catholic priest and writer who authored several religious works and served as a parish priest in the town of Bytča. His writings provide valuable insights into the cultural and religious life of 17th-century Slovakia.
Another prominent individual was Michal Medvecký (1787-1858), a Slovak teacher and writer who played a significant role in the Slovak National Revival movement. He published several educational books and textbooks aimed at promoting the Slovak language and culture.
In the 19th century, the Medvecky surname began to appear in records from other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, likely due to migration and the spread of the Slovak population. For example, Juraj Medvecký (1833-1912) was a Slovak-born painter and art teacher who spent much of his career in Budapest, Hungary.
The name Medvecky also has variations in spelling, such as Medveczky, Medvedcky, or Medvetzky, reflecting local dialects and regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.
As with many Central European surnames, the Medvecky name carries a connection to the natural world and the symbolic significance of animals like the bear in the cultural traditions of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Medvecky
Among Census respondents with the surname Medvecky, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Medvecky 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 Medvecky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 10
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Medvecky
Medvecky 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+11 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 10,287 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 Medvecky 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 | #156,044 | #145,757 | 6.6% |
| Count | 104 | 115 | 10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Medvecky bearers went from 104 to 115 (+10.6% change). The surname moved up 10,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #145,757.
FAQ
Medvecky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Medvecky?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Medvecky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Medvecky?
Medvecky ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Medvecky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Medvecky.
Has Medvecky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Medvecky went from 104 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 11 (+10.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Medvecky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Medvecky, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Medvecky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Medvecky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (8.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Medvecky (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 Medvecky mean?
A surname of Slovak origin meaning "little bear" or "young bear". 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 Medvecky (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 have the surname Medvecky?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.