2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Radeck
A Slavic habitational surname derived from a place name formed from the root "rad" meaning advice or joy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Radeck. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Radeck 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Radeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Radeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Radeck
The surname Radeck originates from the Czech Republic and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Czech word "radek," meaning "happy" or "joyful." The name was likely given as a nickname to someone with a cheerful or jovial demeanor.
In its early history, the Radeck surname was concentrated in the regions around Prague and Bohemia. Several variants of the spelling existed, including Radek, Radecký, and Radetzky. The name is closely related to the German surname Radetzky, which shares a similar origin and meaning.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Radeck can be found in the Bohemian Chronicles, a historical manuscript from the late 13th century. The chronicles mention a nobleman named Jindřich Radeck, who participated in a battle against the Teutonic Knights in 1278.
In the 15th century, the Radeck name gained prominence when Jan Radeck, a wealthy merchant and landowner, established a prominent family in the town of Tábor. His descendants continued to use the Radeck surname, and it became well-known in the region.
During the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Radeck surname was Václav Radeck, a Bohemian composer and organist. He was born in 1624 and is known for his compositions for church choirs and organ works.
Another notable individual with the Radeck surname was Josef Radeck, a Czech artist and painter born in 1785. He was renowned for his portraits and landscapes, and his works can be found in several museums and galleries across the Czech Republic.
In the 19th century, the Radeck surname gained international recognition through the military career of Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, an Austrian nobleman of Czech descent. He was born in 1766 and served as a prominent commander in the Austrian Empire's army during the Napoleonic Wars and the Revolutions of 1848.
The Radeck surname has also been associated with several place names in the Czech Republic, such as the village of Radek and the town of Radčice. These places likely derived their names from individuals bearing the Radeck surname who lived or owned land in those areas.
While the Radeck surname is relatively uncommon outside of the Czech Republic, it has spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Czech lands and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Radeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Radeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Radeck 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 Radeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 98
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Radeck
Radeck 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-20 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,507 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,461 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 28,507 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Up 5,461 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 Radeck 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 | #154,907 | #149,446 | 3.5% |
| Count | 105 | 110 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Radeck bearers went from 105 to 110 (+4.8% change). The surname moved up 5,461 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #149,446.
FAQ
Radeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Radeck?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Radeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Radeck?
Radeck ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Radeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Radeck.
Has Radeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Radeck went from 105 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 5 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Radeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Radeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Radeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Radeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Radeck (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 Radeck mean?
A Slavic habitational surname derived from a place name formed from the root "rad" meaning advice or joy. 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 Radeck (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 Radeck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.