2000
#4,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,591
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.44
Rare Last name
Novotny
From Czech, referring to someone new to a village or town, or an newcomer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,423 Americans carry the last name Novotny. That puts it at #5,210 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Novotny 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
7.4K
1 in 46,175
Census rank
#5,210
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,473 bearers of the surname Novotny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5210th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Novotny, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Novotny
The surname Novotny has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the 15th century. It is a derivative of the Czech word "nový," meaning "new," and was likely used to distinguish someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or town.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Novotny can be found in various historical documents and records from the region, such as land registries and church records. One notable mention is in the Beroun Codex, a 15th-century manuscript containing legal and administrative records from the town of Beroun, which lists several individuals with the surname Novotny.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Novotny became more widespread throughout the Czech lands, particularly in regions like Bohemia and Moravia. It was also associated with various place names, such as Novotná Lhota, a village in the Hradec Králové Region, and Nová Ves, which translates to "new village" and is a common place name found throughout the Czech Republic.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Novotny was Jan Novotný (1530-1599), a Czech writer and translator who is known for his work on the Czech translation of the Bible. Another notable figure was Václav Novotný (1858-1939), a Czech historian and professor at Charles University in Prague, who made significant contributions to the study of Czech history.
Other notable individuals with the surname Novotny include:
1. Josef Novotný (1888-1959), a Czech painter and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and illustrations for children's books.
2. Jarmila Novotná (1907-1994), a renowned Czech opera singer who performed leading roles in operas by composers such as Puccini, Verdi, and Janáček.
3. František Novotný (1890-1963), a Czech composer and conductor who was a prominent figure in the Czech music scene during the first half of the 20th century.
4. Jaroslav Novotný (1886-1918), a Czech mathematician and logician who made significant contributions to the foundations of mathematics and logic.
5. Antonín Novotný (1904-1975), a Czech communist politician who served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1968.
The surname Novotny has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence in the Czech culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Novotny
Among Census respondents with the surname Novotny, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Novotny 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 Novotny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 6,038
- Two or more races2.8% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 176
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 36
- Black or African American0.5% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Novotny
Novotny 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
#5,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,617
+26 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Down 375 places
2020
#5,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,473
-144 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Up 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,895 | 6,591 | 2.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,270 | 6,617 | 2.24 | +26 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 375 places |
| 2020 | #5,210 | 6,473 | 2.17 | -144 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 60 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 Novotny 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 | #5,270 | #5,210 | 1.1% |
| Count | 6,617 | 6,473 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.24 | 2.17 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Novotny bearers went from 6,617 to 6,473 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,270 to #5,210.
FAQ
Novotny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Novotny?
Name Census estimates that about 7,423 living Americans carry the surname Novotny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,175 residents.
How common is Novotny?
Novotny ranks #5,210 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,473 people with the surname Novotny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,423), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Novotny.
Has Novotny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Novotny went from 6,617 recorded bearers to 6,473. That is a decrease of 144 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,270 to #5,210.
What does the Census say about the background of Novotny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Novotny, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Novotny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (6,038 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Novotny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Novotny (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 Novotny mean?
From Czech, referring to someone new to a village or town, or an 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 Novotny (2.17 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 are called Novotny?
See how many people have the last name Novotny on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.