2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Aretakis
A surname of Greek origin meaning "bread maker" or "baker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Aretakis. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aretakis 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Aretakis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aretakis, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aretakis
The surname Aretakis has its origins in Greece, first appearing in historical records during the Byzantine period, around the 9th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "arete," meaning virtue or excellence, combined with the suffix "-akis," a diminutive form commonly used in Greek surnames.
One of the earliest known mentions of the name can be found in a manuscript from the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, which records a monk named Theodoros Aretakis living in the 11th century. The name also appears in several other monastic records from the Byzantine era, suggesting it may have been associated with members of the clergy or monastic orders.
In the 13th century, a scholar and philosopher named Georgios Aretakis was noted for his works on Aristotelian logic and metaphysics. He was born in Thessaloniki around 1210 and taught at the University of Constantinople, leaving behind several influential treatises.
During the Ottoman period, the Aretakis name can be traced to several prominent families in various regions of Greece, particularly in the Peloponnese and the islands of the Aegean Sea. Notably, Ioannis Aretakis, born in 1642 on the island of Chios, was a renowned shipowner and merchant who established trade routes throughout the Mediterranean.
In the 18th century, Konstantinos Aretakis (1725-1802) was a prominent figure in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. He served as a military commander and played a crucial role in several key battles, earning him recognition as a patriot and hero.
Another notable individual was Sophia Aretakis (1860-1932), a pioneering educator and feminist from Athens. She founded one of the first schools for girls in Greece and was an advocate for women's rights and access to education.
While the name Aretakis has its roots in Greece, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Greek concept of virtue and excellence, reflecting the cultural and historical significance of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aretakis
Among Census respondents with the surname Aretakis, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Aretakis 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 Aretakis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 109
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aretakis
Aretakis 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-4 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,484 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 11,484 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 10,164 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 Aretakis 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 | #135,593 | #145,757 | -7.5% |
| Count | 124 | 115 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aretakis bearers went from 124 to 115 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 10,164 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #145,757.
FAQ
Aretakis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aretakis?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Aretakis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Aretakis?
Aretakis ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Aretakis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aretakis.
Has Aretakis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aretakis went from 124 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Aretakis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aretakis, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Aretakis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aretakis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Aretakis (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 Aretakis mean?
A surname of Greek origin meaning "bread maker" or "baker." 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 Aretakis (0.04 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 share the surname Aretakis?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.