2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bishko
A surname derived from a Ukrainian word meaning "small" or "little".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Bishko. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bishko 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Bishko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bishko, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bishko
The surname BISHKO is believed to have originated from the Czech Republic in the late 15th century. It is derived from the Czech word "biskup," which means "bishop." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked for or had a close association with a bishop or the Church.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the BISHKO surname can be found in the town of Brno, located in the present-day Czech Republic. In a document dated 1487, a man named Jan BISHKO is mentioned as a landowner in the region.
Another early record of the name is found in the village of Janovice, where a family by the name of BISHKO is listed in the local parish records from the early 16th century.
The BISHKO name also appears in the historical records of the city of Prague, with a notable individual named Vaclav BISHKO, who lived from 1532 to 1601. He was a prominent merchant and trader in the city.
In the 17th century, the BISHKO surname spread beyond the borders of the Czech Republic. Records show a man named Michal BISHKO, born in 1627, who settled in the town of Krakow in present-day Poland.
Another notable figure with the BISHKO surname was Frantisek BISHKO, a Czech painter and artist who lived from 1732 to 1798. His works can still be found in some of the churches and museums in Prague and other parts of the Czech Republic.
Over the centuries, the BISHKO surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Bishkow, Bischko, and Bischkow, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas where the name was present.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bishko
Among Census respondents with the surname Bishko, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bishko 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 Bishko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 97
- Black or African American3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bishko
Bishko appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 2,642 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 Bishko 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 | #152,628 | #155,270 | -1.7% |
| Count | 107 | 101 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bishko bearers went from 107 to 101 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 2,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #155,270.
FAQ
Bishko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bishko?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Bishko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Bishko?
Bishko ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Bishko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bishko.
Has Bishko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bishko went from 107 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Bishko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bishko, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Bishko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bishko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Black (3.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Bishko (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 Bishko mean?
A surname derived from a Ukrainian word meaning "small" or "little". 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 Bishko (0.03 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 Bishko?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.