2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vaclav
Derived from the Slavic name Václav/Wenceslas, meaning "more glory."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Vaclav. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vaclav 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Vaclav in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaclav, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vaclav
The surname VACLAV is of Czech origin, derived from the Slavic name Václav, which means "more glory" or "greater glory." It is believed to have emerged in the 9th century in the region of Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VACLAV can be found in the Bohemian Chronicle, written by the medieval chronicler Cosmas of Prague in the 12th century. The chronicle mentions several individuals bearing the name, including Vaclav I, Duke of Bohemia, who lived from around 915 to 935 AD.
Another notable historical figure with the surname VACLAV was Vaclav IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, who ruled from 1376 to 1419. He was known for his support of the arts and for his efforts to promote peace and unity within the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 15th century, the surname VACLAV appeared in several documents related to the Hussite Wars, a series of religious conflicts in Bohemia. One of the leaders of the Hussite movement was Jan Vaclav, a priest and reformer who lived from around 1370 to 1430.
During the Renaissance period, the surname VACLAV was associated with several notable artists and scholars. One example is Vaclav Hollar, a Czech etcher and engraver who lived from 1607 to 1677 and is known for his detailed depictions of landscapes and cityscapes.
Another prominent figure with the surname VACLAV was Vaclav Havel, a playwright, essayist, and politician who served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 and the first president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. He played a significant role in the Velvet Revolution that ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia.
The surname VACLAV has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Wenceslaus, Venceslav, and Wenzeslaus, reflecting the different linguistic influences and regional dialects in the areas where it was used.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaclav
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaclav, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vaclav 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 Vaclav surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vaclav
Vaclav 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,677 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 Vaclav 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 | #158,432 | #154,755 | 2.3% |
| Count | 102 | 102 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vaclav bearers went from 102 to 102 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,755.
FAQ
Vaclav surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vaclav?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Vaclav. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Vaclav?
Vaclav ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Vaclav. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Vaclav.
Has Vaclav become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vaclav went from 102 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Vaclav?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaclav, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Vaclav in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vaclav appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Vaclav (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 Vaclav mean?
Derived from the Slavic name Václav/Wenceslas, meaning "more glory." 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 Vaclav (0.03 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 last name Vaclav?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Vaclav on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.