2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Motika
A Ukrainian surname potentially derived from the word "motyka" meaning hoe or mattock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Motika. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Motika 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Motika in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Motika, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Motika
The surname Motika is believed to have originated in the Czech Republic during the 13th century. It is derived from the old Czech word "motyka," which means "hoe" or "mattock," a type of tool used for digging and cultivating the soil. This suggests that the name may have originated among families involved in agricultural work or farming communities.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Motika can be found in historical documents and records from the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, which were part of the Kingdom of Bohemia at that time. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Jan Motika, a farmer from the village of Lobkovice, mentioned in a land registry from 1312.
In the 15th century, the name Motika appeared in the records of the city of Prague, where a merchant named Jakub Motika was listed as a member of the local guild of traders in 1472. This indicates that the name had spread beyond rural areas and was also present in urban centers.
During the 16th century, the Motika surname appeared in various historical records, including the registers of the University of Prague. One notable figure was Vaclav Motika, a scholar and professor of philosophy who lived from 1524 to 1590.
In the 18th century, the name Motika was found in the records of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which included parts of the Czech lands. A notable bearer of the name during this period was Jan Nepomuk Motika, a renowned military officer who served in the imperial army from 1730 to 1798.
Other notable individuals with the surname Motika include Frantisek Motika, a Czech painter and illustrator who lived from 1845 to 1913, and Josef Motika, a Czech politician and member of the Czechoslovak National Assembly in the early 20th century.
While the name Motika is primarily associated with the Czech Republic, variations of the surname can also be found in other Slavic countries, such as Poland (Motyka) and Slovakia (Motika or Motyka), likely due to migration and cultural exchanges within the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Motika
Among Census respondents with the surname Motika, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Motika 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 Motika surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Motika
Motika 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-2 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,183 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-20 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,010 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 9,183 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 19,010 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 Motika 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 | #126,018 | #145,028 | -15.1% |
| Count | 136 | 116 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Motika bearers went from 136 to 116 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 19,010 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #145,028.
FAQ
Motika surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Motika?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Motika. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Motika?
Motika ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Motika. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Motika.
Has Motika become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Motika went from 136 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Motika?
Among Census respondents with the surname Motika, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Motika in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Motika appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (0.9%). 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 Motika (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 Motika mean?
A Ukrainian surname potentially derived from the word "motyka" meaning hoe or mattock. 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 Motika (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 common is the surname Motika?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Motika, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.