2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bekis
Surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Bekis. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bekis 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Bekis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bekis, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 75.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.3%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bekis
The surname BEKIS has its origins in the Latvian language and can be traced back to the late 14th century in the region that is now modern-day Latvia. It is believed to have derived from the Latvian word "bēķis," which means "a small stream or brook." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned land by a small stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEKIS can be found in the Latvian Revision Lists, a series of census-like records compiled by the authorities in the late 16th century. In these lists, a man named Jānis Bēķis is mentioned as a resident of the village of Līvāni in the year 1589.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name BEKIS appeared in various local parish records and land ownership documents across different parts of Latvia. Notably, in 1712, a man named Andris BEKIS was listed as a landowner in the town of Bauska, which at the time was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In the 19th century, the name BEKIS began to spread beyond the borders of Latvia as people emigrated to other parts of the Russian Empire and later to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable bearer of the name was Kārlis BEKIS (1848-1923), a Latvian poet and playwright who was an influential figure in the national awakening movement of the late 19th century.
Another prominent BEKIS was Jānis BEKIS (1892-1971), a Latvian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia from 1927 to 1928. He later represented Latvia as an ambassador to various countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States.
In the early 20th century, a branch of the BEKIS family settled in the United States, where the name was sometimes anglicized to "Beekis" or "Beekus." One notable American BEKIS was Arvīds BEKIS (1911-1999), a Latvian-American artist and painter who was known for his landscape and still-life works.
While the name BEKIS is not as common as some other Latvian surnames, it continues to be carried by families in Latvia and among the Latvian diaspora around the world, serving as a link to the country's rich cultural heritage and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bekis
Among Census respondents with the surname Bekis, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 75.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.3%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bekis 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 Bekis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native75.2% · 82
- White18.3% · 20
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bekis
Bekis 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,609 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,977 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,609 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 10,977 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 Bekis 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 | #139,228 | #150,205 | -7.9% |
| Count | 120 | 109 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bekis bearers went from 120 to 109 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 10,977 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #150,205.
FAQ
Bekis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bekis?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Bekis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Bekis?
Bekis ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Bekis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Bekis.
Has Bekis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bekis went from 120 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Bekis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bekis, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 75.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.3%) and Black (2.8%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bekis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bekis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (75.2%), White (18.3%), Black (2.8%). 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 Bekis (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 Bekis mean?
Surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Bekis (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 Americans have the surname Bekis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.