2000
#9,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Linkous
Derived from the German surname Lincke, referring to a person from Linke or having some association with the left side.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,340 Americans carry the last name Linkous. That puts it at #10,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linkous 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
3.3K
1 in 102,621
Census rank
#10,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,913 bearers of the surname Linkous in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linkous, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Linkous
The surname Linkous is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "link," which means "left-handed." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was left-handed, a trait that was considered unusual in medieval times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Linkhausen, located in the Rhineland region of Germany. The town's name, which translates to "village of the left-handers," lends credence to the theory that the surname Linkous is related to left-handedness.
In the late 17th century, the name began to appear in various church records and parish registers throughout Germany. One notable bearer of the name was Hans Linkous, born in 1678 in the town of Mainz. He was a respected blacksmith and is mentioned in several historical documents from the time.
As the centuries passed, the name spread to other parts of Europe, with some variations in spelling, such as Linkhause and Linkhausen. In the early 19th century, Jacob Linkous (1802-1875), a German immigrant, brought the name to the United States, settling in Virginia.
Another notable figure with the surname Linkous was Johann Linkous (1851-1923), a German-born musician and composer who gained fame for his intricate organ compositions. His works were widely performed in churches throughout Germany and Austria.
In the 20th century, the name gained further recognition with the rise of Mark Linkous (1962-2010), an American singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the influential indie rock band Sparklehorse and is widely regarded as a pioneer of the alternative rock genre.
Throughout its history, the surname Linkous has maintained its connection to its German roots, with a rich tapestry of individuals who have left their mark across various fields and disciplines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linkous
Among Census respondents with the surname Linkous, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Linkous 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 Linkous surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,713
- Two or more races3.5% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linkous
Linkous 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
#10,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,102
+126 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 395 places
2020
#10,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,913
-189 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,992 | 2,976 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,387 | 3,102 | 1.05 | +126 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 395 places |
| 2020 | #10,512 | 2,913 | 0.97 | -189 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 125 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 Linkous 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 | #10,387 | #10,512 | -1.2% |
| Count | 3,102 | 2,913 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.97 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linkous bearers went from 3,102 to 2,913 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 125 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,387 to #10,512.
FAQ
Linkous surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linkous?
Name Census estimates that about 3,340 living Americans carry the surname Linkous. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,621 residents.
How common is Linkous?
Linkous ranks #10,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,913 people with the surname Linkous. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,340), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Linkous.
Has Linkous become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linkous went from 3,102 recorded bearers to 2,913. That is a decrease of 189 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,387 to #10,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Linkous?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linkous, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Linkous in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,713 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linkous appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Linkous (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 Linkous mean?
Derived from the German surname Lincke, referring to a person from Linke or having some association with the left side. 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 Linkous (0.97 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 common is the surname Linkous?
See how common the surname Linkous is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.