2000
#13,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,996
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Conkle
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a person with a large nose or for a haughty person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,350 Americans carry the last name Conkle. That puts it at #14,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conkle 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
2.4K
1 in 145,853
Census rank
#14,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,049 bearers of the surname Conkle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conkle
The surname Conkle has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "cunc," which means hill or mound. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or mound.
During the Middle Ages, the Conkle surname was concentrated in the counties of Kent and Sussex, particularly in the region around the town of Rye. Some early records show variations in the spelling, such as Conkell, Concle, and Conkill.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John Conkell is listed as a landowner in the village of Peasmarsh, near Rye. The Conkle family likely had ties to the local fishing and maritime industries, as Rye was a significant port town during that period.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Conkle family settled in the village of Ringmer, near Lewes in East Sussex. The parish records from St Mary's Church in Ringmer contain several entries for Conkle births, marriages, and deaths between 1550 and 1700.
One notable figure in the family's history was William Conkle (1587-1662), a prosperous merchant and landowner in Ringmer. He served as a churchwarden and was involved in local governance. Another prominent individual was John Conkle (1712-1789), a wealthy yeoman farmer from the nearby village of Chalvington.
As the Conkle family expanded, some members migrated to other parts of England and eventually to the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1635, a Richard Conkle was among the early settlers of Virginia, and in 1684, a John Conkle arrived in Pennsylvania from Yorkshire.
Other individuals of note bearing the Conkle surname include:
1. Thomas Conkle (1724-1802), a loyalist during the American Revolutionary War who fled to Canada after the conflict.
2. Samuel Conkle (1760-1840), a landowner and pioneering settler in Ohio.
3. Mary Conkle (1810-1892), a renowned quilter and folk artist from Pennsylvania.
4. James Conkle (1830-1910), a Union soldier in the American Civil War and later a farmer in Indiana.
5. Robert Conkle (1869-1945), a prolific inventor and engineer who held numerous patents related to agricultural machinery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conkle
Among Census respondents with the surname Conkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Conkle 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 Conkle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,841
- Two or more races4.1% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 58
- Black or African American2.3% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conkle
Conkle 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
#13,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,238
+242 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 336 places
2020
#14,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,049
-189 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 526 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,881 | 1,996 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,545 | 2,238 | 0.76 | +242 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 336 places |
| 2020 | #14,071 | 2,049 | 0.69 | -189 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 526 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 Conkle 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 | #13,545 | #14,071 | -3.9% |
| Count | 2,238 | 2,049 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.69 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conkle bearers went from 2,238 to 2,049 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 526 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,545 to #14,071.
FAQ
Conkle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conkle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,350 living Americans carry the surname Conkle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,853 residents.
How common is Conkle?
Conkle ranks #14,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,049 people with the surname Conkle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,350), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Conkle.
Has Conkle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conkle went from 2,238 recorded bearers to 2,049. That is a decrease of 189 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,545 to #14,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Conkle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Conkle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,841 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conkle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (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 Conkle (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 Conkle mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a person with a large nose or for a haughty person. 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 Conkle (0.69 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 Conkle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.