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

Novak, 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 Novak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Novak in America

Novak is the 980th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Novak surname appeared 35,461 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Novak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Novak 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 Novak

The surname Novak is of Slavic origin, specifically from the Czech and Slovak regions of Central Europe. It can be traced back to the 13th century and is derived from the word "novy," meaning "new" in these languages. This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who was a newcomer to a particular area or settlement.

The earliest known record of the name Novak dates back to 1263 in the town of Brno, which is now part of the Czech Republic. It appears in a document listing the names of local landowners and residents. During this time period, surnames were becoming more common as a way to distinguish between individuals, especially in growing urban centers.

In the 14th century, the name Novak was also found in various historical records in the neighboring region of Slovakia. One notable example is a reference to a man named Jan Novak, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Trnava in the year 1354.

As the Novak name spread throughout Central Europe, variations in spelling began to emerge. Some of these included Nowak, Novakova, and Novacek, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic influences. However, the core meaning of "new" or "newcomer" remained consistent.

One of the earliest known places associated with the name Novak is the village of Novaky, located in present-day Slovakia. This settlement likely took its name from the presence of individuals with the Novak surname in the area, further solidifying the connection between the name and its origins.

Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who carried the Novak surname:

1. Jan Novak (1453-1520), a Czech philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Prague.
2. Tomáš Novak (1614-1668), a Bohemian Catholic priest and writer who authored several religious texts.
3. Ján Novák (1722-1784), a Slovak composer and musician who is considered one of the earliest representatives of Slovak classical music.
4. Vítězslav Novák (1870-1949), a Czech composer and teacher who was a prominent figure in the late Romantic and early 20th-century classical music scene.
5. Kim Novak (born 1933), an American actress who starred in several iconic films during the 1950s and 1960s, such as "Vertigo" and "Picnic."

While the Novak surname has spread globally due to migration and diaspora communities, its roots can be traced back to the Czech and Slovak regions of Central Europe, where it emerged as a reflection of the region's linguistic and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Novak

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

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 Novak 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 Novak 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 Novak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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