2000
#36,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 571
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Likins
A locational surname indicating an area with abundant lilies or a botanical name for lilac flowers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 616 Americans carry the last name Likins. That puts it at #43,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 556,419 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Likins 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
616
1 in 556,419
Census rank
#43,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
537
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 537 bearers of the surname Likins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Likins, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Likins
The surname Likins has its origins in England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old English word "lic," meaning a body or corpse, combined with the diminutive suffix "-in." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone employed in the burial or undertaking trade.
Records from the 13th and 14th centuries show variations of the spelling, including Likyn, Lykyn, and Lykins. One of the earliest mentions of the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Lykyns is listed as a taxpayer.
In the 15th century, the Likins surname appears in various legal documents and court records across different counties in England. A notable example is William Likins, a merchant from London who was involved in a trade dispute documented in the Court of Chancery in 1487.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name spread to other parts of England, and variations in spelling became more common. In the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, the baptism of Thomas Likins is recorded in 1592.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Likins surname was Robert Likins, a landowner from Yorkshire, born around 1610. His descendants can be traced through various genealogical records and wills from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Another notable figure was John Likins, a successful merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who lived from 1657 to 1723. He was a prominent member of the local community and served as the city's mayor in 1705.
In the 19th century, the Likins surname continued to be found throughout England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire. One individual of note was Thomas Likins (1792-1868), a renowned architect from London who designed several notable buildings, including churches and country estates.
As the name spread beyond England, it also took on various spellings and adaptations in other parts of the British Isles and abroad. For example, in Scotland, the variant Likens emerged, while in Ireland, the spelling Lykins was sometimes used.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Likins
Among Census respondents with the surname Likins, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Likins 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 Likins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 472
- Two or more races5.8% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Likins
Likins 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
#38,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 581
+10 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 1,295 places
2020
#43,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 537
-44 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 5,184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,860 | 571 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,155 | 581 | 0.20 | +10 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 1,295 places |
| 2020 | #43,339 | 537 | 0.18 | -44 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 5,184 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 Likins 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 | #38,155 | #43,339 | -13.6% |
| Count | 581 | 537 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.18 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Likins bearers went from 581 to 537 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 5,184 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,155 to #43,339.
FAQ
Likins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Likins?
Name Census estimates that about 616 living Americans carry the surname Likins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 556,419 residents.
How common is Likins?
Likins ranks #43,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 537 people with the surname Likins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (616), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Likins.
Has Likins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Likins went from 581 recorded bearers to 537. That is a decrease of 44 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #38,155 to #43,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Likins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Likins, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Likins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (472 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Likins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Likins (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 Likins mean?
A locational surname indicating an area with abundant lilies or a botanical name for lilac flowers. 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 Likins (0.18 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 Likins?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.