2000
#10,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,792
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Novack
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "new man" or "newcomer" in Polish or Czech.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,891 Americans carry the last name Novack. That puts it at #11,875 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,559 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Novack 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
2.9K
1 in 118,559
Census rank
#11,875
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,521 bearers of the surname Novack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11875th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Novack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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instances of the name Novack can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the Czech lands dating back to the 12th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Novack
Among Census respondents with the surname Novack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Novack 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 Novack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,319
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 86
- Two or more races2.5% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 30
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Novack
Novack 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
#11,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,689
-103 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 1,121 places
2020
#11,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,521
-168 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,538 | 2,792 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,659 | 2,689 | 0.91 | -103 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 1,121 places |
| 2020 | #11,875 | 2,521 | 0.84 | -168 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 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 Novack 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 | #11,659 | #11,875 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,689 | 2,521 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.84 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Novack bearers went from 2,689 to 2,521 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,659 to #11,875.
FAQ
Novack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Novack?
Name Census estimates that about 2,891 living Americans carry the surname Novack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,559 residents.
How common is Novack?
Novack ranks #11,875 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,521 people with the surname Novack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,891), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Novack.
Has Novack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Novack went from 2,689 recorded bearers to 2,521. That is a decrease of 168 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,659 to #11,875.
What does the Census say about the background of Novack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Novack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Novack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Novack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Novack (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 Novack mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "new man" or "newcomer" in Polish or Czech. 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 Novack (0.84 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 share the surname Novack?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.