2010
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gjika
An Albanian surname indicating the bearer's noble or aristocratic lineage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 164 Americans carry the last name Gjika. That puts it at #125,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,089,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gjika 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
164
1 in 2,089,965
Census rank
#125,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
143
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 143 bearers of the surname Gjika in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 125732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gjika, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gjika
The surname Gjika is of Albanian origin, and it is believed to have originated in the 15th century. The name is derived from the Albanian word "gjikë," which means "branch" or "twig." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a prominent or significant branch of a tree or a forest.
The earliest known record of the Gjika surname is found in the Codex Studenica, a 15th-century manuscript from the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Studenica. The manuscript mentions a person named Gjon Gjika, who was a landowner in the region of Dibra, located in present-day northern Albania and western North Macedonia.
One of the most notable figures in the history of the Gjika family was Gjergj Gjika (c. 1455-1512), who served as a military commander under the Ottoman Empire. He played a crucial role in the Ottoman conquest of Albania and was granted lands in the region of Elbasan for his services.
Another prominent member of the Gjika family was Beqir Gjika (c. 1610-1675), who served as a vizier (high-ranking official) in the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Mehmed IV. He was known for his diplomatic skills and played a significant role in the negotiations between the Ottoman Empire and the Venetian Republic.
In the 18th century, the Gjika family established a semi-autonomous principality in the region of Shkodra, in northern Albania. The most famous ruler of this principality was Mehmet Gjika (1728-1801), who governed the region from 1784 to 1801. He was known for his efforts to modernize the administration and promote education in the region.
One of the most illustrious members of the Gjika family in more recent history was Ismail Qemali (1844-1919), an Albanian politician and statesman who played a crucial role in the country's independence from the Ottoman Empire. He served as the first Prime Minister of Albania in 1912-1914.
The Gjika surname has also been associated with several notable figures in the arts and literature. One example is Liri Belishova Gjika (1924-2014), an Albanian writer and poet who was known for her contributions to children's literature and her work in promoting Albanian culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gjika
Among Census respondents with the surname Gjika, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gjika 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 Gjika surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.3% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gjika
Gjika 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
#125,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
+14 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 5,647 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #125,732 | 143 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 5,647 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 Gjika 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 | #131,379 | #125,732 | 4.3% |
| Count | 129 | 143 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 19.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gjika bearers went from 129 to 143 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 5,647 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #125,732.
FAQ
Gjika surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gjika?
Name Census estimates that about 164 living Americans carry the surname Gjika. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,089,965 residents.
How common is Gjika?
Gjika ranks #125,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 143 people with the surname Gjika. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Gjika.
Has Gjika become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gjika went from 129 recorded bearers to 143. That is an increase of 14 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #131,379 to #125,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Gjika?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gjika, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Gjika in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.3% (142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gjika appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.3%), Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Gjika (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 Gjika mean?
An Albanian surname indicating the bearer's noble or aristocratic lineage. 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 Gjika (0.05 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 Gjika?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.