2000
#5,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,555
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.06
Rare Last name
Svoboda
A Czech and Slovak surname meaning "freedom," derived from the Slavic word "svoboda."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,297 Americans carry the last name Svoboda. That puts it at #6,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Svoboda 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
6.3K
1 in 54,431
Census rank
#6,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,491 bearers of the surname Svoboda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Svoboda, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Svoboda
Among Census respondents with the surname Svoboda, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Svoboda 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 Svoboda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 5,156
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 172
- Two or more races2.0% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Svoboda
Svoboda 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
#6,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,686
+131 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 320 places
2020
#6,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,491
-195 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,723 | 5,555 | 2.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,043 | 5,686 | 1.93 | +131 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 320 places |
| 2020 | #6,023 | 5,491 | 1.84 | -195 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 20 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 Svoboda 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 | #6,043 | #6,023 | 0.3% |
| Count | 5,686 | 5,491 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.84 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Svoboda bearers went from 5,686 to 5,491 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,043 to #6,023.
FAQ
Svoboda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Svoboda?
Name Census estimates that about 6,297 living Americans carry the surname Svoboda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,431 residents.
How common is Svoboda?
Svoboda ranks #6,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,491 people with the surname Svoboda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Svoboda.
Has Svoboda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Svoboda went from 5,686 recorded bearers to 5,491. That is a decrease of 195 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,043 to #6,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Svoboda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Svoboda, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Svoboda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (5,156 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Svoboda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Svoboda (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 Svoboda mean?
A Czech and Slovak surname meaning "freedom," derived from the Slavic word "svoboda." 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 Svoboda (1.84 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 Americans have the surname Svoboda?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.