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

Svoboda, 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 Svoboda surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Svoboda in America

Svoboda is the 6043rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Svoboda surname appeared 5,686 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Svoboda.

We can also compare 2010 data for Svoboda 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.

The history of the last name Svoboda

The surname Svoboda originated in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where it has been present since at least the 13th century. It is derived from the Slavic word "svoboda," which means "freedom" or "liberty." This name likely referred to someone who was free or had obtained their freedom from serfdom or slavery.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Svoboda can be found in a 1384 document from the town of Olomouc, where a man named Mikuláš Svoboda was mentioned. Another early record dates back to 1413, when a certain Jakub Svoboda was listed in a document from the town of Brno.

In the 16th century, the name Svoboda appeared in various forms, such as Swoboda, Swobodka, and Swobodný. These variations reflected regional dialects and scribal preferences in recording names.

One notable bearer of the Svoboda surname was Jan Svoboda (1490-1564), a Czech Protestant reformer and writer who advocated for religious freedom and the use of the Czech language in church services.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Svoboda was also found in various place names, such as Svobodná Ves (meaning "Free Village") and Svobodné Dvory (meaning "Free Estates"), reflecting the association of the name with freedom and independence.

Another significant figure was František Svoboda (1785-1835), a Czech lawyer and writer who played a pivotal role in the Czech National Revival movement, which aimed to promote Czech language, literature, and culture.

In the 19th century, the Svoboda surname gained prominence with individuals like Václav Svoboda (1791-1849), a Czech writer and journalist who advocated for Czech national rights and was involved in the 1848 revolutions.

One of the most famous bearers of the Svoboda name was Ludvík Svoboda (1895-1979), a Czech military officer and politician who served as the first President of Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring of 1968.

Throughout history, the Svoboda surname has been associated with individuals who championed freedom, liberty, and Czech national identity, reflecting the name's origins and meaning.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Svoboda

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

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 Svoboda was:

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

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

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

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