2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Belskis
An East European surname, possibly Lithuanian, referring to someone with fair or blond hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Belskis. 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 Belskis 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 Belskis 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 Belskis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belskis
The surname Belskis is of Lithuanian origin and dates back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Lithuanian word "belskis," which means "to knock" or "to bang." This suggests that the name may have been derived from an occupation or activity related to knocking or banging, such as a carpenter or blacksmith.
The earliest known records of the Belskis name can be found in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was a powerful state that existed from the 13th to the 18th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Vilnius, Kaunas, and Trakai, which were important cultural and economic centers during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Belskis name dates back to 1387, when a man named Jonas Belskis was listed as a landowner in the Trakai region. Another notable figure was Motiejus Belskis, a prominent merchant who lived in Vilnius in the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Belskis name appeared in various historical documents and records, such as tax registers, land deeds, and court proceedings. This indicates that the name was well-established among the Lithuanian nobility and bourgeoisie.
In the 18th century, Antanas Belskis was a respected scholar and teacher who made significant contributions to the field of linguistics and the preservation of the Lithuanian language. He was born in 1720 and passed away in 1799.
Another notable figure was Jurgis Belskis, a military commander who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1785 and died in 1848 during the Crimean War.
In the 19th century, Marija Belskis, born in 1823 and died in 1901, was a prominent figure in the Lithuanian national revival movement and played a crucial role in promoting the Lithuanian language and culture.
Lastly, Vincas Belskis, born in 1892 and died in 1967, was a renowned architect who designed several iconic buildings in Kaunas and Vilnius, including the Kaunas State Musical Theatre and the Vilnius University Library.
Overall, the Belskis surname has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by many notable figures in Lithuanian history, particularly in the fields of academia, military, and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belskis
Among Census respondents with the surname Belskis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Belskis 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 Belskis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 99
- Black or African American3.7% · 4
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belskis
Belskis 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+8 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,293 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,004 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 1,293 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,004 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 Belskis 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 | #146,201 | #150,205 | -2.7% |
| Count | 113 | 109 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belskis bearers went from 113 to 109 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,004 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,205.
FAQ
Belskis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belskis?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Belskis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Belskis?
Belskis 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 Belskis. 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 Belskis.
Has Belskis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belskis went from 113 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Belskis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belskis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Belskis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belskis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Black (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Belskis (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 Belskis mean?
An East European surname, possibly Lithuanian, referring to someone with fair or blond hair. 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 Belskis (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 common is the surname Belskis?
See how many people are called Belskis on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.