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Novak Family History

Novak Surname Meaning

Czech Slovak Rusyn (from Slovakia) and Hungarian (Novák); Slovenian Croatian Serbian Ukrainian Rusyn and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): derivative of Czech and Slovak nový Slovenian Croatian and Serbian nov Ukrainian and Rusyn novy ‘new’ denoting a newcomer to a place and as a Slovenian surname also e.g. a peasant who settled on newly cleared land.

This is the most frequent surname in Czechia and in Slovenia and the sixth most frequent surname in Croatia.

Compare Novack Nowak 2 and Newman.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Novak family from?

You can see how Novak families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Novak family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Novak families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there were 110 Novak families living in Illinois. This was about 19% of all the recorded Novak's in USA. Illinois had the highest population of Novak families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Novak surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Novak ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Novak. 18% of Novak men worked as a Laborer and 5% of Novak women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Novak were Truck Driver and Laborer.

View Census Data for Novak | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    18%
  • Farmer
    10%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    5%
  • Stenographer
    5%
  • Waitress
    5%
  • Laborer
    5%

What Novak family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 87,000 census records available for the last name Novak. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Novak census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Novak

Passenger Lists

There are 20,000 immigration records available for the last name Novak. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Novak immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 30,000 military records available for the last name Novak. For the veterans among your Novak ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Novak military records

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