2000
#899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,282
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.08
Uncommon Last name
Novak
A surname of Czech and Slovak origin, derived from the word "nový," meaning "new" or "newcomer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,537 Americans carry the last name Novak. That puts it at #1,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,894 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Novak 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Novak with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,894
Census rank
#1,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,606 bearers of the surname Novak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Novak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Novak
Among Census respondents with the surname Novak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Novak 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 Novak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 31,320
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,012
- Two or more races2.4% · 822
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 249
- Black or African American0.4% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Novak
Novak 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
#980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,461
+179 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 12.02
Rank movement Down 81 places
2020
#1,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,606
-1,855 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 11.24
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #899 | 35,282 | 13.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #980 | 35,461 | 12.02 | +179 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 81 places |
| 2020 | #1,021 | 33,606 | 11.24 | -1,855 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 41 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 Novak 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 | #980 | #1,021 | -4.2% |
| Count | 35,461 | 33,606 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 12.02 | 11.24 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Novak bearers went from 35,461 to 33,606 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #980 to #1,021.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Novak
FAQ
Novak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Novak?
Name Census estimates that about 38,537 living Americans carry the surname Novak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,894 residents.
How common is Novak?
Novak ranks #1,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,606 people with the surname Novak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,537), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Novak.
Has Novak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Novak went from 35,461 recorded bearers to 33,606. That is a decrease of 1,855 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #980 to #1,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Novak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Novak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Novak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (31,320 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Novak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Novak (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 Novak mean?
A surname of Czech and Slovak origin, derived from the word "nový," meaning "new" or "newcomer." 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 Novak (11.24 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 Novak?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Novak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.