Nowka last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Nowka

An Ashkenazi Jewish surname derived from the Polish word "nowy", meaning new.

Nowka, 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 Nowka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nowka in America

Nowka is the 81458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nowka surname appeared 232 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nowka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nowka 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank81458793942.57%
Count2322233.96%
Proportion per 100k0.080.080.00%

The history of the last name Nowka

The surname Nowka is believed to have originated in the Slavic region of Eastern Europe, particularly in present-day Poland and surrounding areas. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

Nowka is thought to be derived from the Old Polish word "nowy," meaning "new." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was a newcomer to a particular area or settlement. Alternatively, it could have been used to distinguish between individuals with the same given name by referring to the "new" person.

There are records of individuals bearing the Nowka surname in various historical documents from the region. For instance, the name appears in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dating back to the 16th century.

One of the earliest documented instances of the Nowka surname is that of Jan Nowka, a Polish nobleman who lived in the 15th century. He was a prominent landowner and is mentioned in several records related to land disputes and legal proceedings during that time.

Another notable figure with the Nowka surname was Marcin Nowka, a Polish philosopher, and writer who lived in the 16th century. He was educated at the University of Krakow and is known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy.

In the 18th century, there was a Polish military officer named Stanisław Nowka, who served in the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He participated in several military campaigns and is mentioned in historical accounts of battles and military operations during that period.

The Nowka surname can also be traced to various place names in the region, such as the village of Nowka in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship of southeastern Poland. It is possible that the surname originated from individuals who hailed from or were associated with such locations.

Another individual of note is Franciszek Nowka, a Polish painter and artist who lived in the 19th century. He is known for his landscape paintings and works depicting scenes from rural life in Poland.

While the surname Nowka is primarily associated with Poland and the Slavic regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era in Eastern Europe, where it emerged as a distinctive surname with possible connections to place names, personal descriptors, and historical figures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nowka

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

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 Nowka was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only93.97%218
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races3.02%7
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Nowka has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White93.97%95.07%-1.16%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.00%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%2.24%(S)%
Two or More Races3.02%0.00%200.00%
Hispanic(S)%(S)%(S)%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.

Search
Search
Background shape