2000
#10,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Ickes
Derived from a shortened form of the German personal name Eckhard, meaning "strong edge" or "brave guard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,149 Americans carry the last name Ickes. That puts it at #11,051 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,845 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ickes 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
3.1K
1 in 108,845
Census rank
#11,051
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,746 bearers of the surname Ickes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11051st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ickes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ickes
The surname Ickes originated in the northwestern region of Germany, particularly in the areas around the Rhine River. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "icca," which means "edge" or "border." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near the edge of a town or village, or perhaps near a border or frontier area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Ickes can be traced back to the 13th century. In historical records from this time period, various spellings such as "Ickis," "Ickys," and "Ickens" appear, reflecting the variations in dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Ickes surname was Johann Ickes, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Cologne in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he was involved in trade along the Rhine River and owned several properties in the surrounding areas.
Another notable figure was Matthias Ickes, a prominent theologian and scholar who lived in the 16th century. Born in 1520 in the town of Mainz, Matthias Ickes was a notable figure in the Protestant Reformation and authored several influential works on religious philosophy and doctrine.
In the 17th century, the Ickes name can be found in various church records and land registries throughout the Rhineland region. One such example is Hans Ickes, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Remagen from 1625 to 1698.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, as the name spread across Europe and beyond, several notable individuals with the Ickes surname emerged. One such figure was Johann Friedrich Ickes, a German composer and musician who lived from 1765 to 1834 and is known for his contributions to the development of early Romantic-era music.
Another prominent Ickes was Anna Ickes, a German writer and feminist activist who lived from 1840 to 1912. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and education and published several influential works on these topics during her lifetime.
As the name continued to spread through migration and immigration, it eventually found its way to other parts of the world, including the United States. One notable American with the Ickes surname was Harold L. Ickes, who served as the United States Secretary of the Interior under President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1946.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ickes
Among Census respondents with the surname Ickes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ickes 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 Ickes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 2,575
- Two or more races3.1% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 49
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ickes
Ickes 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
#11,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,768
-87 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 1,057 places
2020
#11,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,746
-22 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,336 | 2,855 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,393 | 2,768 | 0.94 | -87 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 1,057 places |
| 2020 | #11,051 | 2,746 | 0.92 | -22 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 342 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 Ickes 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 | #11,393 | #11,051 | 3.0% |
| Count | 2,768 | 2,746 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.92 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ickes bearers went from 2,768 to 2,746 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 342 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,393 to #11,051.
FAQ
Ickes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ickes?
Name Census estimates that about 3,149 living Americans carry the surname Ickes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,845 residents.
How common is Ickes?
Ickes ranks #11,051 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,746 people with the surname Ickes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Ickes.
Has Ickes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ickes went from 2,768 recorded bearers to 2,746. That is a decrease of 22 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,393 to #11,051.
What does the Census say about the background of Ickes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ickes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Ickes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (2,575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ickes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Ickes (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 Ickes mean?
Derived from a shortened form of the German personal name Eckhard, meaning "strong edge" or "brave guard." 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 Ickes (0.92 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 Ickes?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Ickes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.