2000
#53,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 366
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Nemechek
Czech surname meaning "little German" or originating from a person with German ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 460 Americans carry the last name Nemechek. That puts it at #55,282 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 745,118 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nemechek 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
460
1 in 745,118
Census rank
#55,282
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
401
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 401 bearers of the surname Nemechek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55282nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nemechek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nemechek
The surname Nemechek is of Czech origin, originating in the region of Bohemia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Czech word "nemec," meaning "German" or "foreigner," suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who came from or had ties to Germanic regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nemechek can be found in the Bohemian Land Tables, a collection of legal records dating back to the 14th century. Here, the name appears as "Niemeczek," reflecting the older spelling variation.
In the 16th century, a notable individual named Jan Nemechek (c. 1520-1589) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Prague. His business dealings and civic involvement likely contributed to the prominence of the surname within the region.
During the 17th century, the surname Nemechek appeared in various ecclesiastical records, such as baptismal and marriage registers. One notable example is Vaclav Nemechek (1634-1701), a Catholic priest who served in the town of Kutná Hora.
The 18th century saw the rise of a prominent Czech family bearing the surname Nemechek. Jakub Nemechek (1720-1789) was a respected landowner and local magistrate in the village of Nová Ves. His son, Frantisek Nemechek (1756-1821), followed in his footsteps and became a respected figure in the community.
In the 19th century, the surname Nemechek gained recognition through the works of the Czech writer and playwright Josef Nemechek (1823-1879). His plays and literary works shed light on the cultural and social dynamics of the time, cementing his place in Czech literary history.
Another notable figure from this period was Alois Nemechek (1847-1919), a renowned Czech architect who designed several prominent buildings in Prague, including the National Theatre and the Rudolfinum concert hall.
As the name spread beyond its Czech origins, it also appeared in various place names and geographic locations. For example, there is a village called Nemechek in the Olomouc region of the Czech Republic, which likely derived its name from the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nemechek
Among Census respondents with the surname Nemechek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Nemechek 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 Nemechek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 381
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 12
- Two or more races1.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nemechek
Nemechek 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
#51,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 408
+42 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 1,981 places
2020
#55,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 401
-7 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 4,216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,047 | 366 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,066 | 408 | 0.14 | +42 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 1,981 places |
| 2020 | #55,282 | 401 | 0.13 | -7 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,216 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 Nemechek 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 | #51,066 | #55,282 | -8.3% |
| Count | 408 | 401 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nemechek bearers went from 408 to 401 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,216 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,066 to #55,282.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nemechek
FAQ
Nemechek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nemechek?
Name Census estimates that about 460 living Americans carry the surname Nemechek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 745,118 residents.
How common is Nemechek?
Nemechek ranks #55,282 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 401 people with the surname Nemechek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (460), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Nemechek.
Has Nemechek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nemechek went from 408 recorded bearers to 401. That is a decrease of 7 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #51,066 to #55,282.
What does the Census say about the background of Nemechek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nemechek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Nemechek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (381 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nemechek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Nemechek (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 Nemechek mean?
Czech surname meaning "little German" or originating from a person with German ancestry. 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 Nemechek (0.13 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 Nemechek?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.