2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Noveck
An Americanized spelling variant of the German surname Novak or Novack, meaning newcomer or new settler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Noveck. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noveck 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Noveck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noveck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noveck
The surname Noveck is believed to have originated in Central Europe, particularly in the areas that are now modern-day Poland and Germany. The name itself is derived from the Slavic root "nov," which means "new" or "recent." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or was a newcomer to a community.
The earliest known recorded instances of the surname Noveck can be traced back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries in various church and municipal records from the regions of Silesia and Pomerania, which were then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Holy Roman Empire, respectively.
One notable early bearer of the Noveck surname was Jan Noveck, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Glogów (now in western Poland) in the mid-17th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the trade of agricultural goods and owned several properties in the surrounding areas.
Another historical figure with the Noveck surname was Katarzyna Noveck, a Polish noblewoman who lived in the late 17th century. She was known for her philanthropic work and played a significant role in supporting the construction of a church and a hospital in the town of Oświęcim (now known as Auschwitz).
In the 18th century, a man named Friedrich Noveck (1724-1802) gained prominence as a respected academic and scholar in the city of Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland). He served as a professor of philosophy and mathematics at the University of Breslau and authored several influential works on logic and metaphysics.
The 19th century saw the birth of the German artist and painter, Emil Noveck (1853-1919), who was renowned for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region of Germany. His works were widely acclaimed and can be found in various art galleries and museums across Europe.
Another notable individual with the Noveck surname was Maria Noveck (1876-1955), a Polish-American social worker and activist who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of immigrants and working-class families in the United States. She played a pivotal role in establishing settlement houses and advocating for labor rights in the early 20th century.
While the Noveck surname has its roots in Central Europe, over time, it has spread to various parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, the historical records and examples mentioned above provide valuable insights into the origins and early bearers of this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noveck
Among Census respondents with the surname Noveck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Noveck 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 Noveck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noveck
Noveck 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-14 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,009 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+11 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 23,009 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 9,117 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 Noveck 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 | #152,628 | #143,511 | 6.0% |
| Count | 107 | 118 | 10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noveck bearers went from 107 to 118 (+10.3% change). The surname moved up 9,117 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #143,511.
FAQ
Noveck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noveck?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Noveck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Noveck?
Noveck ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Noveck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Noveck.
Has Noveck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noveck went from 107 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 11 (+10.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Noveck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noveck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Noveck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noveck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%), Black (0.8%). 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 Noveck (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 Noveck mean?
An Americanized spelling variant of the German surname Novak or Novack, meaning newcomer or new settler. 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 Noveck (0.04 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 Noveck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.