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

Vanek, 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 Vanek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vanek in America

Vanek is the 11697th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vanek surname appeared 2,679 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Vanek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vanek 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 Vanek

The surname Vanek has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Czech word "vanek," which means "a gentle breeze" or "a soft wind." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who had a gentle or calm demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Vanek can be found in the village of Radomyšl, near Prague, in the late 1500s. The name was also present in other regions of Bohemia and Moravia during this time period.

In the 17th century, the surname Vanek appeared in various historical documents and records, such as parish registers and land deeds. One notable mention is in the Berní Rula, a tax register from the 1650s, which listed several individuals with the surname Vanek living in different parts of the Kingdom of Bohemia.

The earliest known bearer of the surname Vanek was Jan Vanek, a farmer who lived in the village of Straškov in the late 16th century. Another early example is Matěj Vanek, a blacksmith from the town of Kutná Hora, born around 1620.

Throughout history, several noteworthy individuals have borne the surname Vanek. One example is Václav Vanek (1676-1736), a Baroque painter and fresco artist from Prague who worked on various churches and monasteries in Bohemia and Moravia.

Another notable figure was Josef Vanek (1810-1879), a Czech writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Czech National Revival movement and was a supporter of the Pan-Slavic ideals.

In the 20th century, Jaroslav Vanek (1901-1980) was a prominent Czech engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II.

Karel Vanek (1892-1964) was a Czech politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s and played a crucial role in the negotiations leading up to the Munich Agreement.

More recently, Radek Vanek (born 1977) is a former professional ice hockey player who represented the Czech Republic in several international tournaments, including the Olympic Games and World Championships.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vanek

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

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

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

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