2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kwik
A surname derived from a Dutch word meaning "swift" or "quick."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Kwik. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kwik 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Kwik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwik, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.7%. The next largest groups are White (36.9%) and Two or More Races (11.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kwik
The surname KWIK is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "kwik," which means "mercury" or "quicksilver." This could suggest that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who worked with mercury or were involved in related trades, such as alchemy or metalworking.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname KWIK can be found in the Dutch city of Utrecht, where a man named Pieter KWIK was recorded in the city's records in 1598. Another early record mentions a Jan KWIK, who resided in the town of Leiden in the early 17th century.
The name KWIK also appears in several historical manuscripts and documents from the Netherlands, including the "Grote Kerkboek" (Great Church Book) of Amsterdam, which contains records of births, marriages, and deaths from the 17th and 18th centuries. Some notable individuals bearing the surname KWIK during this time period include:
1. Cornelis KWIK (1632-1692), a Dutch merchant and trader who established trade routes between the Netherlands and the East Indies.
2. Anna KWIK (1670-1745), a renowned Dutch painter known for her still-life compositions and portraits.
3. Willem KWIK (1712-1778), a Dutch engineer who contributed to the design and construction of several notable canals and waterways in the Netherlands.
In the 19th century, the surname KWIK began to spread beyond the Netherlands as Dutch immigrants settled in other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable individual from this period was:
4. Johannes KWIK (1829-1901), a Dutch-American inventor and engineer who developed several groundbreaking innovations in the field of steam power and machinery.
Additionally, the name KWIK has been linked to several place names in the Netherlands, such as the town of Kwijkuit (derived from "kwik uit," meaning "mercury out") and the village of Kwikkelaar (possibly related to the word "kwikken," meaning "to move quickly").
Throughout history, the surname KWIK has been associated with a variety of occupations, from merchants and traders to artists and engineers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kwik
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwik, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.7%. The next largest groups are White (36.9%) and Two or More Races (11.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kwik 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 Kwik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander47.7% · 53
- White36.9% · 41
- Two or more races11.7% · 13
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kwik
Kwik 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+10 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 489 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-11 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,338 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 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 489 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 11,338 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 Kwik 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 | #137,327 | #148,665 | -8.3% |
| Count | 122 | 111 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kwik bearers went from 122 to 111 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 11,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #148,665.
FAQ
Kwik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kwik?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Kwik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Kwik?
Kwik ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Kwik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kwik.
Has Kwik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kwik went from 122 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Kwik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwik, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.7%. The next largest groups are White (36.9%) and Two or More Races (11.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kwik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.7% (53 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kwik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (47.7%), White (36.9%), Two or More Races (11.7%). 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 Kwik (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 Kwik mean?
A surname derived from a Dutch word meaning "swift" or "quick." 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 Kwik (0.04 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 Kwik?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.