2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pinkava
A Czech surname derived from the Czech word "pinkava" meaning "chaffinch" (a type of bird).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 166 Americans carry the last name Pinkava. That puts it at #124,450 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,064,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pinkava 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
166
1 in 2,064,785
Census rank
#124,450
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
145
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 145 bearers of the surname Pinkava in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 124450th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pinkava, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pinkava
The surname Pinkava is of Czech origin, originating in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia. It is believed to have derived from the Czech word "pinka," which referred to a specific type of beer mug or tankard. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, indicating someone who worked with or produced these mugs, perhaps a potter or tavern keeper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pinkava can be found in the Liber Viridis, a 14th-century tax register from the town of Chrudim in Bohemia. Here, a certain "Wenceslaus Pinkava" is listed as a landowner and taxpayer.
In the 16th century, the Pinkava surname appears in the records of the village of Moravske Prusy, located in what is now the Zlin Region of eastern Moravia. A document from 1567 mentions a "Jan Pinkava" as a local resident and landowner.
During the Renaissance period, a notable individual bearing the Pinkava surname was Jan Pinkava (c. 1550-1637), a Czech mathematician and astronomer who worked at the court of Rudolph II in Prague. He is known for his contributions to the development of logarithms and his collaboration with Johannes Kepler.
Another significant figure was Vaclav Pinkava (1790-1865), a Czech writer and journalist from Bohemia. He was a prominent figure in the Czech National Revival movement and played a key role in the cultural and linguistic renaissance of the Czech people.
In the 20th century, the name Pinkava gained international recognition through the work of Jan Pinkava (1963-), a Czech-American animator and filmmaker who co-directed the Oscar-nominated animated film "Geri's Game" for Pixar Animation Studios.
Other historical figures with the Pinkava surname include Frantisek Pinkava (1819-1892), a Czech composer and organist from Moravia, and Jaroslav Pinkava (1926-2011), a Czech painter and graphic artist known for his abstract works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pinkava
Among Census respondents with the surname Pinkava, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pinkava 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 Pinkava surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pinkava
Pinkava 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+4 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,513 places
2020
#124,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
-3 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,970 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +4 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 4,513 places |
| 2020 | #124,450 | 145 | 0.05 | -3 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 6,970 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 Pinkava 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 | #117,480 | #124,450 | -5.9% |
| Count | 148 | 145 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pinkava bearers went from 148 to 145 (-2.0% change). The surname moved down 6,970 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #124,450.
FAQ
Pinkava surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pinkava?
Name Census estimates that about 166 living Americans carry the surname Pinkava. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,064,785 residents.
How common is Pinkava?
Pinkava ranks #124,450 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 145 people with the surname Pinkava. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Pinkava.
Has Pinkava become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pinkava went from 148 recorded bearers to 145. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #124,450.
What does the Census say about the background of Pinkava?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pinkava, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (1.4%). 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 Pinkava in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pinkava appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (2.8%), Black (1.4%). 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 Pinkava (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 Pinkava mean?
A Czech surname derived from the Czech word "pinkava" meaning "chaffinch" (a type of bird). 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 Pinkava (0.05 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 Pinkava?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.