Novak
English
Etymology
Usually from Czech Novák or Slovak Novák, but possibly also from Serbo-Croatian Nȍvāk, Slovene Novák, or Hungarian Novák.
Proper noun
Novak (plural Novaks)
- A surname.
- A male given name.
Statistics
- According to the 2010 United States Census, Novak is the 980th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 35,461 individuals. Novak is most common among White (95.6%) individuals.
German
Alternative forms
Etymology
Usually from Czech Novák or Slovak Novák, but possibly also from Serbo-Croatian Nȍvāk, Slovene Novák, or Hungarian Novák. The meaning newcomer, novice is equivalent to the native surname Neumann
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈnoːvak/
Proper noun
Novak m or f (proper noun, surname, masculine genitive Novaks or (with an article) Novak, feminine genitive Novak, plural Novaks)
- a surname
Serbo-Croatian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /nôʋaːk/
Proper noun
Nȍvāk m
- a surname
Statistics
- According to the 2021 Croatian census, Novak is the 6th most common surname in Croatia, belonging to 9739 individuals.
Further reading
- “Novak”, in Acta Croatica (in Serbo-Croatian)
Slovak
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈnɔvak]
Proper noun
Novak m pers (female equivalent Novaková)
- a surname
Declension
| singular | plural 1 | plural 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | Novak | Novakovia | Novakovci |
| genitive | Novaka | Novakov | Novakovcov |
| dative | Novakovi | Novakom | Novakovcom |
| accusative | Novaka | Novakov | Novakovcov |
| locative | Novakovi | Novakoch | Novakovcoch |
| instrumental | Novakom | Novakmi | Novakovcami |
Further reading
- “Novak”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025
Slovene
Etymology
From:
- nov (“new”), for "newcomer to the village".
- novina (“new arable land”), as an occupational surname for people who used the slash-and-burn method to create new arable land. Compare Novinec.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /nɔʋàːk/
Proper noun
Novák m anim
- a surname
Declension
| Masculine anim., hard o-stem | ||
|---|---|---|
| nominative | Novák | |
| genitive | Nováka | |
| singular | ||
| nominative (imenovȃlnik) |
Novák | |
| genitive (rodȋlnik) |
Nováka | |
| dative (dajȃlnik) |
Nováku | |
| accusative (tožȋlnik) |
Nováka | |
| locative (mẹ̑stnik) |
Nováku | |
| instrumental (orọ̑dnik) |
Novákom | |
Proper noun
Novák f
- a surname
Declension
Indeclinable.
Statistics
- Novak is the most common surname in Slovenia, belonging to 10,620 individuals.
Further reading
- “Novak”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2025