2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Datka
Referring to a female leader or chieftain in some Turkic cultures.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Datka. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Datka 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Datka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Datka, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Datka
The surname DATKA is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Lithuania, with roots dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Lithuanian word "datka," which means "gift" or "offering," suggesting that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals who were known for their generosity or charitable acts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DATKA surname can be found in a 16th-century manuscript from the town of Vilnius, where a merchant named Jonas Datka was mentioned in a trade document. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the DATKA surname appeared in various records and documents across the Lithuanian territories, indicating its continued presence and significance. One notable figure from this period was Mykolas Datka (1672-1748), a renowned scholar and educator who served as the headmaster of the prestigious Vilnius University.
As the Lithuanian diaspora spread throughout Eastern Europe and beyond, the DATKA surname also found its way into other regions. In the 19th century, a prominent Russian military officer named Nikolai Datka (1819-1887) gained recognition for his exploits during the Crimean War and subsequent campaigns in Central Asia.
Another notable individual with the DATKA surname was Jadvyga Datka (1898-1972), a Polish painter and artist who gained recognition for her vibrant landscape paintings and her involvement in the Warsaw art scene during the interwar period.
In more recent times, the name has been carried by individuals such as Algirdas Datka (1928-2014), a Lithuanian-American engineer and inventor who held numerous patents in the field of mechanical engineering, and Vytautas Datka (born 1962), a contemporary Lithuanian author and poet known for his works exploring themes of identity and cultural heritage.
While the DATKA surname may have originated in a specific region, it has since spread across various cultures and continents, carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions. Its enduring presence serves as a testament to the rich tapestry of human history and the enduring legacy of names that have traveled through time and space.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Datka
Among Census respondents with the surname Datka, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Datka 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 Datka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Datka
Datka 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
#120,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
+39 bearers (+37.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 24,721 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-29 bearers (-20.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,570 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 | #120,187 | 144 | 0.05 | +39 bearers (+37.1%) | Up 24,721 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-20.1%) | Down 25,570 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 Datka 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 | #120,187 | #145,757 | -21.3% |
| Count | 144 | 115 | -20.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Datka bearers went from 144 to 115 (-20.1% change). The surname moved down 25,570 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,187 to #145,757.
FAQ
Datka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Datka?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Datka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Datka?
Datka ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Datka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Datka.
Has Datka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Datka went from 144 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 29 (-20.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,187 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Datka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Datka, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Datka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Datka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Datka (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 Datka mean?
Referring to a female leader or chieftain in some Turkic cultures. 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 Datka (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 people have the last name Datka?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Datka at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.