Vlcek last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Vlcek

A diminutive surname derived from the Czech word vlk, meaning "wolf".

Vlcek, 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 Vlcek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vlcek in America

Vlcek is the 31184th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vlcek surname appeared 744 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Vlcek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vlcek 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 31184 32652 -4.60%
Count 744 663 11.51%
Proportion per 100k 0.25 0.25 0.00%

The history of the last name Vlcek

The surname Vlcek has its origins in the Czech Republic, emerging in the medieval period around the 12th century. It is derived from the Czech word "vlček," which translates to "little wolf." The name likely originated as a nickname or a descriptive term, perhaps referring to someone with wolf-like qualities or features.

In the early days, surnames were not as widespread as they are today, and people were often identified by their occupation, physical characteristics, or place of origin. The adoption of hereditary surnames occurred gradually, with the nobility and landowners being among the first to adopt them.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vlcek can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia, dating back to the 12th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period.

The name Vlcek has also been linked to various place names in the Czech Republic, such as the village of Vlček, located in the Moravian-Silesian Region. It is possible that some individuals bearing the surname Vlcek may have originated from or lived in these areas.

Throughout history, there have been notable individuals who carried the surname Vlcek. One such individual was Jan Vlcek (1856-1935), a Czech writer, literary critic, and translator who made significant contributions to Czech literature.

Another notable figure was Antonín Vlcek (1828-1901), a Czech historian and archivist who played a crucial role in preserving and documenting the history of Bohemia.

In the field of music, Vít Vlcek (1876-1931) was a renowned Czech composer and conductor who wrote several operas and orchestral works.

The name Vlcek has also been associated with scientific achievements. Jaroslav Vlcek (1909-1994) was a Czech chemist and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of synthetic fibers and polymers.

Lastly, Ladislav Vlcek (1930-2020) was a Czech ice hockey player and coach who represented Czechoslovakia in the Winter Olympics and won numerous championships.

These examples demonstrate the presence and significance of the surname Vlcek throughout various periods of history and across various fields, solidifying its place as a notable Czech surname with a rich cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vlcek

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

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 Vlcek was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.64% 719
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.34% 10
Hispanic Origin 1.48% 11

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.64% 96.08% 0.58%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 1.06% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.34% 1.06% 23.33%
Hispanic 1.48% 1.21% 20.07%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Vlcek last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 25, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/vlcek-surname-popularity/.

"Vlcek last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/vlcek-surname-popularity/. Accessed 25 November, 2024

Vlcek last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/vlcek-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.