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

Herko, 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 Herko surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Herko in America

Herko is the 68547th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Herko surname appeared 287 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 Herko.

We can also compare 2010 data for Herko 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 Herko

The surname Herko is of Croatian and Serbian origin, originating in the 14th century. It is derived from the Slavic word "herka," which means "daughter" or "young woman." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for a person who had a daughter or who was considered youthful in appearance or behavior.

Historically, the surname Herko was found in various regions of the Balkans, including present-day Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It appeared in some of the earliest records and manuscripts from these areas, such as the Dubrovnik Archives from the 16th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Herko was in a 1492 document from the town of Makarska, located in present-day Croatia. The document mentioned a person named Ivan Herko, who was a merchant and landowner.

In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Herko was Petar Herko, a Croatian military officer who fought in the Ottoman-Venetian wars. He was born in Zadar in 1642 and died in battle in 1687.

Another historical figure with the surname Herko was Marko Herko, a Serbian writer and poet from the 18th century. He was born in Belgrade in 1723 and is known for his collection of traditional Serbian folk songs and poems.

In the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the Herko surname was Luka Herko, a Croatian politician and lawyer who served as the mayor of Split from 1878 to 1882. He was born in Split in 1834 and died in 1903.

The surname Herko can also be found in some old place names and variations, such as the village of Herkovo in central Serbia, which was mentioned in records dating back to the 16th century.

It is worth noting that while the surname Herko has its roots in the Balkans, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Herko

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

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 Herko 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 Herko 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 Herko was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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