2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kiskis
A variant of the common Lithuanian surname Kiškis, meaning "rabbit" or "hare".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Kiskis. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kiskis 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Kiskis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiskis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kiskis
The surname KISKIS originates from Lithuania and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Lithuanian word "kiskis," which means "rabbit." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who either hunted rabbits or bore some physical resemblance to the animal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KISKIS surname can be found in the Metrica Regni Poloniae, a collection of administrative records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where a certain Jonas KISKIS was mentioned in a document from 1582.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records from the Samogitia region of Lithuania, which was then part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. For example, a Motiejus KISKIS was born in Kretinga in 1643, and a Jokūbas KISKIS was recorded as living in Skuodas in 1671.
During the 19th century, the KISKIS surname gained some prominence in Lithuanian literature and culture. Antanas KISKIS (1828-1905) was a notable poet and translator who played a significant role in the Lithuanian National Revival movement. His works helped to preserve and promote the Lithuanian language and cultural heritage.
Another notable figure with the KISKIS surname was Stasys KISKIS (1882-1975), a Lithuanian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from 1926 to 1927. He played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations between Lithuania and other countries after the nation regained its independence in 1918.
In more recent times, Jonas KISKIS (1916-1988) was a prominent Lithuanian sculptor whose works can be found in various public spaces and museums throughout Lithuania. His sculptures often depicted scenes from Lithuanian folklore and mythology.
Variations of the KISKIS surname have also been found in other regions of Europe, such as Poland, where it is sometimes spelled as "Kiski" or "Kiszka." However, these variants are believed to be distinct from the Lithuanian KISKIS and may have different origins and meanings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiskis
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiskis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kiskis 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 Kiskis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kiskis
Kiskis 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,531 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-8 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,835 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,531 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 5,835 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 Kiskis 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 | #148,347 | #154,182 | -3.9% |
| Count | 111 | 103 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kiskis bearers went from 111 to 103 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 5,835 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #154,182.
FAQ
Kiskis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kiskis?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Kiskis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Kiskis?
Kiskis ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Kiskis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kiskis.
Has Kiskis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kiskis went from 111 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Kiskis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiskis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%). 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 Kiskis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kiskis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%). 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 Kiskis (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 Kiskis mean?
A variant of the common Lithuanian surname Kiškis, meaning "rabbit" or "hare". 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 Kiskis (0.03 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 surname Kiskis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.