2000
#1,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,860
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.25
Uncommon Last name
Akins
Derived from the medieval personal name Atkin, a diminutive of Adam, which is of Hebrew origin meaning "red earth."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,367 Americans carry the last name Akins. That puts it at #2,084 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Akins 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 Akins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,698
Census rank
#2,084
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,889 bearers of the surname Akins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2084th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Akins, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Akins
The surname Akins is believed to have originated from the Old English word 'ac', meaning oak tree. It is a locational name that would have been given to someone who lived near an oak grove or forest.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as 'Acun'. This entry refers to a landholder in Buckinghamshire, England. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings such as Aken, Akin, and eventually Akins.
One notable early bearer of the name was Robert Akins, who was born around 1320 in Shropshire, England. He was a merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the local community.
Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Akins (1570-1638), a member of the English gentry from Gloucestershire. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by King James I in 1603.
In the 17th century, the name Akins began to appear in colonial America. One of the earliest recorded instances was Robert Akins, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. He later settled in Maryland and became a prosperous tobacco planter.
During the American Revolutionary War, Colonel Roger Akins (1725-1799) from Massachusetts served in the Continental Army. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership in several battles against the British.
In the 19th century, James Akins (1810-1880) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Tennessee. He served as a judge and was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1857.
The name Akins has also been associated with several place names throughout history. For example, Akenshaw in Lancashire, England, derives its name from the Old English words 'ac' and 'sceaga', meaning oak grove.
Over the centuries, the surname Akins has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, soldiers, politicians, and professionals. While its origins can be traced back to England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Akins
Among Census respondents with the surname Akins, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Akins 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 Akins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.0% · 10,126
- Black or African American31.1% · 5,252
- Two or more races4.8% · 808
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 514
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 84
Timeline
Historical Census data for Akins
Akins 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
#2,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,868
+1,008 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 6.06
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#2,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,889
-979 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 5.65
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,960 | 16,860 | 6.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,020 | 17,868 | 6.06 | +1,008 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #2,084 | 16,889 | 5.65 | -979 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 64 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 Akins 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 | #2,020 | #2,084 | -3.2% |
| Count | 17,868 | 16,889 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.06 | 5.65 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Akins bearers went from 17,868 to 16,889 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,020 to #2,084.
FAQ
Akins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Akins?
Name Census estimates that about 19,367 living Americans carry the surname Akins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,698 residents.
How common is Akins?
Akins ranks #2,084 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,889 people with the surname Akins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,367), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Akins.
Has Akins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Akins went from 17,868 recorded bearers to 16,889. That is a decrease of 979 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,020 to #2,084.
What does the Census say about the background of Akins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Akins, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Akins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.0% (10,126 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Akins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.0%), Black (31.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Akins (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 Akins mean?
Derived from the medieval personal name Atkin, a diminutive of Adam, which is of Hebrew origin meaning "red earth." 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 Akins (5.65 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 Americans have the surname Akins?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.