How common is the surname Novak?

35,461 people in the United States had the surname Novak in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,707 Americans. It ranked 980th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Novak?

In the 2010 Census, 95% of people named Novak identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named Novak?

Kim Novak, American actress, followed by B. J. Novak.

Where is the surname Novak most common?

Wikidata records people named Novak in the United States, the United Kingdom and Austria and 1 other country.

Is the surname Novak getting more or less common?

More common. 35,282 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,461 in 2010, up 0.5%.

Is Novak also a first name?

Yes. Novak is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Novak

A Czech surname, carried by 35,461 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex N120

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Novak is more common than 99.4% of them.

Origin

Czech origin

Usually from Czech Novák or Slovak Novák, but possibly also from Serbo-Croatian Nȍvāk, Slovene Novák, or Hungarian Novák.

One of 96 Czech surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 35,461 people named Novak in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 8,707 Americans. That is about the same as in 2000, when the Census counted 35,282.

#980

rank among US surnames

35,461

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+0.5%

change since 2000 (was #899)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#971	Compton	35,830	8,617
#972	Dudley	35,781	8,629
#973	Sierra	35,770	8,631
#974	Pollard	35,749	8,636
#975	Alfaro	35,725	8,642
#976	Hester	35,642	8,662
#977	Proctor	35,636	8,664

Who is named Novak

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

95% of people named Novak identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.1% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 95%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 1.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Novaks

14 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Kim Novak
American actress, born 1933
B. J. Novak
American actor, born 1979
Michael Novak
American theologian, philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat (1933-2017)
Steve Novak
American basketball player (born 1983)
Jane Novak
American actress (1896-1990)
Kayvan Novak
British actor, born 1978
Eva Novak
American film actress (1898-1988)
Dennis Novak
Austrian tennis player, born 1993
Robert Novak
American journalist and columnist (1931-2009)
Brandon Novak
American skateboarder and motivational speaker, born 1978
Mel Novak
American actor (1935-2025)
Joseph D. Novak
American educator (1932–2023)

Notable Novaks come mostly from the United States (11), the United Kingdom (1) and Austria (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Novak

Novak has the Soundex code N120, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code N120.

Other Czech surnames

All 96 Czech surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Novak come from?: Usually from Czech Novák or Slovak Novák, but possibly also from Serbo-Croatian Nȍvāk, Slovene Novák, or Hungarian Novák.
How common is the surname Novak?: 35,461 people in the United States had the surname Novak in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,707 Americans. It ranked 980th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Novak?: In the 2010 Census, 95% of people named Novak identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named Novak?: Kim Novak, American actress, followed by B. J. Novak.
Where is the surname Novak most common?: Wikidata records people named Novak in the United States, the United Kingdom and Austria and 1 other country.
Is the surname Novak getting more or less common?: More common. 35,282 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,461 in 2010, up 0.5%.
Is Novak also a first name?: Yes. Novak is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.