2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Plouzek
A surname of Czech origin meaning "meadow" or "pasture".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Plouzek. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plouzek 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Plouzek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plouzek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plouzek
The surname Plouzek is of Czech origin, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Plouzy, located in the central Bohemian region of the present-day Czech Republic. The name likely derived from the Old Czech word "plouzik," which referred to a small, shallow pond or a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Plouzek surname can be found in the records of the town of Kutná Hora, where a certain Jan Plouzek was mentioned in a legal document from 1587. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time, possibly stemming from families who had migrated from the village of Plouzy to nearby towns and cities.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Plouzek surname appeared in various historical records across Bohemia. Notably, a certain Václav Plouzek was a respected blacksmith in the town of Nové Město nad Metují, mentioned in guild records from the late 1600s. Another notable figure was Jakub Plouzek, a prominent merchant and landowner from the town of Žatec, who lived between 1712 and 1782.
In the 19th century, the Plouzek surname gained recognition with the achievements of Jan Plouzek (1799-1871), a noted Czech linguist and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of the Czech language and its historical development. His works on Czech grammar and etymology were highly influential during the Czech National Revival period.
Another notable bearer of the Plouzek name was Antonín Plouzek (1856-1932), a renowned Czech architect who designed several notable buildings in Prague, including the Lucerna Palace and the Obecní dům (Municipal House). His works exemplified the Art Nouveau and Neo-Renaissance styles and are considered architectural gems of the city.
Towards the latter part of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, the Plouzek surname spread beyond the borders of the present-day Czech Republic, as some members of the family migrated to other parts of Europe and even to the United States, where they sought new opportunities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plouzek
Among Census respondents with the surname Plouzek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Plouzek 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 Plouzek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 107
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plouzek
Plouzek appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+10 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,013 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 10,013 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 Plouzek 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 | #157,234 | #147,221 | 6.4% |
| Count | 103 | 113 | 9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plouzek bearers went from 103 to 113 (+9.7% change). The surname moved up 10,013 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #147,221.
FAQ
Plouzek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plouzek?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Plouzek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Plouzek?
Plouzek ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Plouzek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Plouzek.
Has Plouzek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plouzek went from 103 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 10 (+9.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Plouzek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plouzek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Plouzek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plouzek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Plouzek (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 Plouzek mean?
A surname of Czech origin meaning "meadow" or "pasture". 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 Plouzek (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 have the surname Plouzek?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.