Find out how popular the last name Gayken is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gayken.

Gayken, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gayken surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gayken in America

Gayken is the 116829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gayken surname appeared 149 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gayken.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gayken to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gayken

The surname GAYKEN is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German words "gawi" meaning region or district, and "ken" meaning child or son, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who came from a particular area or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Wizenburgensium, a medieval manuscript from the late 13th century, which mentions a certain "Conradus Gaiken" from the town of Witzenburg.

In the 15th century, there are records of a Johannes Gayken, a merchant from the city of Nuremberg, who was involved in trade with other German states and neighboring countries. His name appears in several business ledgers and contracts from that time period.

During the 16th century, the GAYKEN name can be found in various church records and tax rolls from the region of Saxony. One notable figure was Hans Gayken (1525-1589), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who served in the town of Wittenberg and was known for his writings on religious reform.

In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Central Europe, with mentions of a Johann Gayken (1632-1701) who was a respected jurist and legal scholar in the city of Prague, in what is now the Czech Republic.

Another notable figure was Katharina Gayken (1718-1792), a German painter and engraver from the city of Dresden, who was renowned for her intricate etchings and portraits of wealthy patrons and noble families.

As the centuries passed, the GAYKEN name continued to be found throughout various regions of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, where members of the family had migrated or established themselves.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gayken

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gayken.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gayken was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gayken has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gayken was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gayken, please contact us.

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