2000
#6,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,421
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Aikens
Derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó hÍcidhe," meaning "descendant of Ícidhe," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,362 Americans carry the last name Aikens. That puts it at #6,923 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,923 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aikens surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,923
Census rank
#6,923
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,676 bearers of the surname Aikens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6923rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aikens, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.3%. The next largest groups are White (41.2%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aikens
The surname Aikens has its roots in the ancient lands of Scotland, where it was originally a territorial name derived from the lands of Enoch or Annock in Renfrewshire. The name is believed to have originated in the early 12th century, with the earliest recorded spelling being "de Enoche" in the Registrum Monasterii de Passelet around 1165.
The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ennoc" or "enedic," meaning "a solitary or remote place." This suggests that the original bearers of the name likely hailed from a secluded or isolated location in the region.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a reference to the name "Enochesberie" appears, which is believed to be an early variant of the Aikens surname. This record provides evidence of the name's existence in England during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Aikens surname was Sir John de Annok, who was a prominent landowner and knight in Renfrewshire during the 13th century. He played a significant role in the Scottish Wars of Independence, fighting alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
Another notable figure in the history of the Aikens surname was Robert Aikens, born in 1647 in Paisley, Scotland. He was a renowned Presbyterian minister and played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Church of Scotland during the Reformation era.
In the 17th century, the Aikens family spread to Ireland, where they established roots in counties such as Antrim and Down. One notable Irish bearer of the name was Reverend Samuel Aikens, born in 1725, who served as a Presbyterian minister in Ballymena, County Antrim.
As the Aikens family migrated to different parts of the world, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Aiken, Aikin, Aiking, and Aikens. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the preferences of individual families.
Another notable individual with the Aikens surname was James Aikens, born in 1795 in Glasgow, Scotland. He was a successful merchant and philanthropist, known for his generous contributions to educational institutions and charitable causes in his native city.
The Aikens surname can also be found in various place names, such as Aikens Green in Buckinghamshire, England, and Aikens Plantation in South Carolina, USA, both named after individuals bearing the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aikens
Among Census respondents with the surname Aikens, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.3%. The next largest groups are White (41.2%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Aikens bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Aikens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.3% · 2,307
- White41.2% · 1,927
- Two or more races5.4% · 251
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aikens
Aikens appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,936
+515 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Up 158 places
2020
#6,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,676
-260 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,989 | 4,421 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,831 | 4,936 | 1.67 | +515 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 158 places |
| 2020 | #6,923 | 4,676 | 1.56 | -260 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 92 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Aikens surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,831 | #6,923 | -1.3% |
| Count | 4,936 | 4,676 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.56 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aikens bearers went from 4,936 to 4,676 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,831 to #6,923.
FAQ
Aikens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aikens?
Name Census estimates that about 5,362 living Americans carry the surname Aikens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,923 residents.
How common is Aikens?
Aikens ranks #6,923 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,676 people with the surname Aikens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,362), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Aikens.
Has Aikens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aikens went from 4,936 recorded bearers to 4,676. That is a decrease of 260 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,831 to #6,923.
What does the Census say about the background of Aikens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aikens, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.3%. The next largest groups are White (41.2%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aikens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.3% (2,307 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aikens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.3%), White (41.2%), Two or More Races (5.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Aikens (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Aikens mean?
Derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó hÍcidhe," meaning "descendant of Ícidhe," a personal name of unknown meaning. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Aikens (1.56 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Aikens?
Find out how many people are called Aikens on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.