2000
#46,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 434
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Cake
An English surname derived from the Old Norse word "kake" meaning a small cake or biscuit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 603 Americans carry the last name Cake. That puts it at #44,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 568,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cake 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 Cake with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
603
1 in 568,415
Census rank
#44,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
526
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 526 bearers of the surname Cake in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cake, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cake
The surname "CAKE" is believed to have originated in England in the late 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "cac", which meant a lump or a mass, and was often used to refer to a small round loaf of bread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "CAKE" appears in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273, where a Robert Cake is listed. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for a baker or someone who made small loaves of bread.
In the 14th century, the surname "CAKE" is found in various records across different counties in England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Walter Cake is mentioned, and the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1348, which list a John Cake.
During the 16th century, the surname "CAKE" appears to have spread to other parts of the British Isles, with records showing individuals with this name in Scotland and Ireland. One notable example is Sir John Cake (c. 1545-1612), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Grantham in Lincolnshire.
In the 17th century, the surname "CAKE" is found in various parish records and court documents across England. One noteworthy individual from this time period is William Cake (1635-1692), an English nonconformist minister and author who was arrested and imprisoned for his religious beliefs.
As the surname "CAKE" continued to spread across the British Isles and beyond, it also began to appear in various spellings, such as "Caik", "Caike", and "Cayke". One example of this is John Caik (c. 1650-1718), a Scottish merchant and landowner who lived in Leith, near Edinburgh.
Other notable individuals with the surname "CAKE" throughout history include Thomas Cake (1737-1811), an English clergyman and author who wrote on various theological subjects, and Benjamin Cake (1788-1849), an English architect and surveyor who designed several buildings in London.
Overall, the surname "CAKE" has a long and varied history, with its origins likely stemming from an occupational name for a baker or someone who made small loaves of bread in medieval England. Despite its somewhat unusual spelling, the name has persisted through the centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life across the British Isles and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cake
Among Census respondents with the surname Cake, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cake 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 Cake surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 458
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 38
- Black or African American3.0% · 16
- Two or more races1.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cake
Cake 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
#50,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 416
-18 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 4,035 places
2020
#44,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 526
+110 bearers (+26.4%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 6,206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,240 | 434 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,275 | 416 | 0.14 | -18 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 4,035 places |
| 2020 | #44,069 | 526 | 0.18 | +110 bearers (+26.4%) | Up 6,206 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 Cake 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 | #50,275 | #44,069 | 12.3% |
| Count | 416 | 526 | 26.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.18 | 25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cake bearers went from 416 to 526 (+26.4% change). The surname moved up 6,206 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,275 to #44,069.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cake
FAQ
Cake surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cake?
Name Census estimates that about 603 living Americans carry the surname Cake. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 568,415 residents.
How common is Cake?
Cake ranks #44,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 526 people with the surname Cake. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (603), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Cake.
Has Cake become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cake went from 416 recorded bearers to 526. That is an increase of 110 (+26.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #50,275 to #44,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Cake?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cake, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (3.0%). 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 Cake in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (458 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cake appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Hispanic (7.2%), Black (3.0%). 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 Cake (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 Cake mean?
An English surname derived from the Old Norse word "kake" meaning a small cake or biscuit. 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 Cake (0.18 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 Cake?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.