2000
#3,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,378
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.11
Rare Last name
Akin
A Yoruba name meaning "brave," "hero," or "strong," or referring to someone born facing upward.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,264 Americans carry the last name Akin. That puts it at #4,244 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,999 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Akin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Akin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 36,999
Census rank
#4,244
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,079 bearers of the surname Akin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4244th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Akin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Akin
The surname Akin has its origins in the ancient Turkish language and can be traced back to the 8th century AD. It is derived from the Turkish word "akın," which means "raid" or "invasion." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals who participated in military campaigns or raids during the expansion of the Turkish empires.
The Akin surname first appeared in written records during the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over a vast territory spanning modern-day Turkey, the Balkans, and parts of the Middle East and North Africa. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ottoman court archives from the 15th century, where it was used to refer to a group of warriors and their families.
In the 16th century, the Akin name gained prominence with the rise of Akin Mehmet Bey, a renowned Ottoman statesman and military commander. He played a crucial role in the Ottoman conquest of Mesopotamia and was appointed as the governor of Baghdad in 1534. Akin Mehmet Bey's legacy and achievements contributed to the widespread recognition of the Akin surname.
As the Ottoman Empire expanded, the Akin name spread across its territories, with various spellings and variations emerging in different regions. For example, in the Balkan region, the name was sometimes spelled as "Aqin" or "Aćin," reflecting the local linguistic influences.
One notable figure with the Akin surname was Akin Pasha, an Ottoman military leader who served as the Grand Vizier (prime minister) of the Ottoman Empire from 1635 to 1636. He played a significant role in the Ottoman-Persian War and was known for his strategic military campaigns.
Another prominent individual was Akin Efendi, a renowned Ottoman calligrapher and poet who lived in the 17th century. His works were widely admired and contributed to the rich cultural heritage of the Ottoman Empire.
In the 19th century, the Akin surname gained recognition with the birth of Akin Terzibaşı (1835-1907), a prominent Ottoman bureaucrat and diplomat. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and played a crucial role in the modernization efforts of the Ottoman Empire.
As the Ottoman Empire dissolved and new nation-states emerged in the early 20th century, the Akin surname continued to be prevalent in various regions, particularly in Turkey, the Balkans, and parts of the Middle East. It has since been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural diversity in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Akin
Among Census respondents with the surname Akin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Akin 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 Akin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 6,998
- Two or more races4.3% · 344
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 305
- Black or African American3.3% · 263
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 71
Timeline
Historical Census data for Akin
Akin 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
#4,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,626
+248 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Down 218 places
2020
#4,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,079
-547 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,896 | 8,378 | 3.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,114 | 8,626 | 2.92 | +248 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 218 places |
| 2020 | #4,244 | 8,079 | 2.70 | -547 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 130 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 Akin 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 | #4,114 | #4,244 | -3.2% |
| Count | 8,626 | 8,079 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.92 | 2.70 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Akin bearers went from 8,626 to 8,079 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,114 to #4,244.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Akin
FAQ
Akin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Akin?
Name Census estimates that about 9,264 living Americans carry the surname Akin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,999 residents.
How common is Akin?
Akin ranks #4,244 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,079 people with the surname Akin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,264), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Akin.
Has Akin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Akin went from 8,626 recorded bearers to 8,079. That is a decrease of 547 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,114 to #4,244.
What does the Census say about the background of Akin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Akin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Akin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (6,998 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Akin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Akin (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 Akin mean?
A Yoruba name meaning "brave," "hero," or "strong," or referring to someone born facing upward. 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 Akin (2.70 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 many people have the last name Akin?
If you just want to know how common the surname Akin is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.