2000
#11,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,409
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Liska
A Czech and Slovak surname derived from the word "liška," meaning "fox," likely referring to a cunning or clever person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,237 Americans carry the last name Liska. That puts it at #14,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liska 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
2.2K
1 in 153,221
Census rank
#14,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,951 bearers of the surname Liska in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liska, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liska
The surname Liska has its roots in the Slavic regions of Central and Eastern Europe, specifically in the areas that are now modern-day Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The name can be traced back to the 13th century and is believed to be derived from the Slavic word "liska," which means "fox" in English.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Liska can be found in the 14th-century Moravian Land Tables, which were medieval records of land ownership and transactions in the region of Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic). The name appears in various spellings, such as "Lyska" and "Liszka," reflecting the regional variations in language and orthography.
In the 16th century, the name Liska appears in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of royal records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This suggests that the name had spread to the territories of modern-day Poland and Lithuania by that time.
One notable individual bearing the surname Liska was Jan Liska (1650-1712), a Czech Catholic priest and philosopher who taught at the University of Prague. He was known for his contributions to the field of logic and his writings on the philosophy of Aristotle.
Another significant figure was Wenceslaus Liska (1682-1749), a Czech Jesuit missionary who travelled to South America and worked among the indigenous populations of what is now Paraguay and Argentina. He is credited with establishing several Jesuit missions and contributing to the preservation of indigenous languages and cultures.
In the 19th century, the name Liska appeared in the records of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, particularly in the regions of Galicia (now part of Poland and Ukraine) and Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic). One notable individual from this period was Ludwik Liska (1822-1891), a Polish painter and illustrator known for his portraits and historical scenes.
As the Slavic populations migrated and settled in various parts of the world, the surname Liska spread to other countries. For instance, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were individuals with the surname Liska recorded in the United States, likely descendants of immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe.
Throughout its history, the surname Liska has been associated with various professions and occupations, from clergy and academics to artists and artisans, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liska
Among Census respondents with the surname Liska, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Liska 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 Liska surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,786
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 65
- Two or more races3.1% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liska
Liska 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
#11,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,679
+270 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 201 places
2020
#14,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,951
-728 bearers (-27.2%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 2,955 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,898 | 2,409 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,697 | 2,679 | 0.91 | +270 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 201 places |
| 2020 | #14,652 | 1,951 | 0.65 | -728 bearers (-27.2%) | Down 2,955 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 Liska 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 | #11,697 | #14,652 | -25.3% |
| Count | 2,679 | 1,951 | -27.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.65 | -28.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liska bearers went from 2,679 to 1,951 (-27.2% change). The surname moved down 2,955 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,697 to #14,652.
FAQ
Liska surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liska?
Name Census estimates that about 2,237 living Americans carry the surname Liska. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,221 residents.
How common is Liska?
Liska ranks #14,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,951 people with the surname Liska. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,237), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Liska.
Has Liska become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liska went from 2,679 recorded bearers to 1,951. That is a decrease of 728 (-27.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,697 to #14,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Liska?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liska, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Liska in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,786 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liska appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Liska (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 Liska mean?
A Czech and Slovak surname derived from the word "liška," meaning "fox," likely referring to a cunning or clever person. 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 Liska (0.65 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 Liska?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.