Find out how popular the last name Novack is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Novack.

Novack, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Novack surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Novack in America

Novack is the 11659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Novack surname appeared 2,689 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Novack.

We can also compare 2010 data for Novack to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Novack

The surname Novack is of Slavic origin, derived from the word "nov" meaning "new" and the suffix "-ák" indicating a person or place. It is believed to have originated in the Czech Republic and Slovakia during the Middle Ages.

In the 13th century, the name Novack was first recorded in Bohemian and Moravian regions. At that time, surnames were typically derived from a person's occupation, location, or physical characteristics. The name Novack likely referred to someone who lived in a newly established settlement or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Novack can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the Czech lands dating back to the 12th century. The document mentions a certain "Novák z Prahy" (Novak of Prague) who was a landowner in the late 13th century.

During the 15th century, the name Novack appeared in various records across Central Europe, including the Landtafel von Niederösterreich (Land Register of Lower Austria) from 1437, which lists a "Hannsen Nowak" as a landowner in the region.

One notable figure with the surname Novack was Jan Novák (c. 1453-1520), a Czech theologian and philosopher who was a rector at the University of Prague. He was known for his works on logic and metaphysics.

Another prominent individual was Václav Novák (1858-1942), a Czech composer and teacher. He was a leading figure in the Czech National Revival movement and is best known for his compositions inspired by Czech folklore and nature.

In the 18th century, the name Novack spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany and Poland. One example is Johann Novack (1737-1804), a German-born Austrian composer and organist who worked in Vienna.

The surname Novack also found its way to the United States, carried by immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable American with this surname was Michael Novack (1933-2017), a Catholic philosopher and author who wrote extensively on the intersection of religion, economics, and politics.

Throughout its history, the surname Novack has been subject to various spellings and variations, such as Nowak, Novak, Novacek, and Novacki, reflecting the diverse linguistic influences and regional variations in different parts of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Novack

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Novack.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Novack was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Novack has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Novack was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Novack, please contact us.

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