The Novotny surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,617 people carried this name — #5,270 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 44,600 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (6,591).

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Novotny surname

From Czech Novotný.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Novotny» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 140 people named Novotny live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 49
Chaco 23
Tucumán 23
Córdoba 17
City of Buenos Aires 15
Mendoza 13

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

116 people named Novotny live in Switzerland.

They live in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 45
St. Gallen 16
Aargau 10
Bern 10
Geneva 9
Vaud 7
Valais 6
Basel-Landschaft 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 41 people named Novotny.

19 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 11 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 19
Paris 7
Moselle 2
Hauts-de-Seine 2
Yvelines 2
Isère 2
Lot-et-Garonne 2
Haut-Rhin 1
Bas-Rhin 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

66 people named Novotny is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 66

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Novotny in American newspapers,
1904–1922.

Newspaper page from The Daily Morning Journal And Courier carrying the name Novotny
The Daily Morning Journal And Courier 1904-01-15
Newspaper page from The Topeka State Journal carrying the name Novotny
The Topeka State Journal 1919-03-22
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Novotny
Great Falls Tribune 1922-06-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,901 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Novotny in Australian newspapers,
1930s–1980s.

151 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Novotny. The most, 92, date from the 1960s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 3.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

ACT (Canberra) 75
Queensland 42
New South Wales 10
South Australia 8
Western Australia 5
Victoria 4
Northern Territory 2
Tasmania 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Novotny.

Who carried it

People named Novotny,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ray Novotny
    Ray Novotny 1907–1995 · baseball player
  • Fritz Novotny
    Fritz Novotny 1940–2019 · saxophonist
  • Franz Novotny 1748–1806 · composer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Ray Novotny: Aprillindcooper, CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); Fritz Novotny: [w.], CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) · 54 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Novotny,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,095 records

1,095 records of the Novotny name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 420
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 247
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 194
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 103
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 88
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 39
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Raymond Novotny

    Born 1947; from East Northport, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph G. Novotny

    Born 1907 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; library assistant from Queens County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1965, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Marie Novotny

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Kronprinz Fr.wilhelm from Southampton, aged 22; servant. From Rozav, Austria.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,095 records for Novotny in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France20 records

20 records of the Novotny name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Therese Josephine Novotny

    Born 1909 in Paris; died 1994 in Chasseneuil-du-Poitou (Vienne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Frantisek Ladislav Novotny

    Born 1925 in Germany; died 1998 in Moëlan-sur-Mer (Finistère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marguerite Nelly Novotny

    Born 1894 in Béthune (Pas-de-Calais); died 1975 in Auxerre (Yonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 20 records for Novotny in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands9 records

9 records of the Novotny name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 8
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Theresia Novotny

    Died 1960 in Gulpen, aged 83.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Karoline Novotny

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1905 in Weenen.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Mathilde Novotny

    In the population register of Ede.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Ede (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Novotny in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Australia5 records

5 records of the Novotny name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 3
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Milos Otokar Josef Novotny

    Retired businessman of Forest Hill, Victoria; died 1999.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Franz Novotny

    Arrived in Victoria in 1911 aboard the Seydlitz, aged 19.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mark Francis Richard Novotny

    Will registered in Tasmania in 1987.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Novotny in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Norway5 records

5 records of the Novotny name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Josefa Novotny

    Census of 1910: Torvet, Larvik; shop assistant, born 1883 in Larvik.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Aloysie Novotny

    Census of 1910: Torvet, Larvik; "tandteknikker", born 1890 in Larvik.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Frederikke Novotny

    Census of 1910: Torvet, Larvik; "forretning", born 1855 in Kjøbenhavn.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Novotny in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Germany3 records

3 records of the Novotny name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Fritz Novotny

    From Plauen i. V. Reported wounded in the Saxon casualty list of 6 May 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 105).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Adolf Novotny

    From Brixenthal, Oesterr. Reported missing in the Bavarian casualty list of 8 June 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Novotny

    From Halm-Vorwerk, Neustadt. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 2 July 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Novotny.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Novotny is.
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Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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