2000
#13,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,998
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Lisk
A Slovakian habitational surname derived from the word "líška", meaning "fox", likely referring to someone living near foxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,291 Americans carry the last name Lisk. That puts it at #14,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,609 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lisk 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lisk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 149,609
Census rank
#14,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,998 bearers of the surname Lisk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lisk, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lisk
The surname LISK is believed to have originated in Poland during the Middle Ages, derived from the Old Polish word "liska," which means "fox." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname, perhaps referring to a person with fox-like characteristics or someone who lived near a den of foxes.
The earliest recorded instances of the LISK surname can be traced back to the 15th century in various Polish records and documents. One notable example is Jan Lisk, a merchant who lived in the city of Krakow in the late 1400s and was mentioned in several trade records from that time.
As the name spread across Poland, it took on various spellings and regional variations, such as Lisek, Liszka, and Liszek. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or the adoption of the surname by different families.
In the 17th century, the LISK surname gained prominence when a family of that name owned a significant estate in the village of Liskowo, located in what is now central Poland. This may have contributed to the name's association with that particular region and its subsequent spread.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the LISK surname. One example is Józef Lisk (1822-1892), a Polish painter and art teacher who specialized in portraiture and religious themes. Another is Kazimierz Lisk (1876-1946), a Polish military officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration.
Other noteworthy individuals include Jan Lisk (1890-1957), a Polish architect and urban planner responsible for designing several notable buildings in Warsaw during the city's reconstruction after World War II, and Marianna Lisk (1908-1995), a Polish writer and poet known for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
While the surname LISK may not be among the most common in Poland today, it has a rich history that can be traced back several centuries, with connections to various regions, professions, and notable individuals throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lisk
Among Census respondents with the surname Lisk, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lisk 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 Lisk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,800
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 88
- Two or more races2.8% · 56
- Black or African American1.8% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lisk
Lisk 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
#13,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,293
+295 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 571 places
2020
#14,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,998
-295 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,871 | 1,998 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,300 | 2,293 | 0.78 | +295 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 571 places |
| 2020 | #14,401 | 1,998 | 0.67 | -295 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 1,101 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 Lisk 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 | #13,300 | #14,401 | -8.3% |
| Count | 2,293 | 1,998 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.67 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lisk bearers went from 2,293 to 1,998 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 1,101 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,300 to #14,401.
FAQ
Lisk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lisk?
Name Census estimates that about 2,291 living Americans carry the surname Lisk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,609 residents.
How common is Lisk?
Lisk ranks #14,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,998 people with the surname Lisk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,291), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Lisk.
Has Lisk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lisk went from 2,293 recorded bearers to 1,998. That is a decrease of 295 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,300 to #14,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Lisk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lisk, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lisk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,800 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lisk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lisk (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 Lisk mean?
A Slovakian habitational surname derived from the word "líška", meaning "fox", likely referring to someone living near foxes. 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 Lisk (0.67 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 Lisk?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Lisk, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.