Find out how popular the last name Lyken is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lyken.

Lyken, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lyken surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lyken in America

Lyken is the 133048th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lyken surname appeared 127 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lyken.

The history of the last name Lyken

The surname Lyken originates from the Netherlands and Belgium, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "lijk," meaning "body" or "corpse," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname given to those responsible for handling the dead, such as undertakers or gravediggers.

Lyken is also believed to be a variant spelling of the Dutch name "Leyken," which has a similar origin and meaning. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Zutphen, in the Netherlands, where a Johannes Leyken was baptized in 1596.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name spread across the Low Countries and into neighboring regions, such as Germany and France. In the French records of the city of Lille, the name appears as "Licken" and "Licquen," reflecting the linguistic variations common in that era.

One notable bearer of the name was Jan Lyken (1617-1677), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings and landscapes. Another was Pieter Lyken (1640-1701), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of calculus and made significant observations of the planet Mars.

In the 19th century, the name began to appear in various German records, possibly carried there by Dutch or Belgian immigrants. One such individual was Heinrich Lyken (1822-1901), a German businessman and philanthropist who founded a charitable foundation in his hometown of Cologne.

As people with the surname Lyken migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas, the name underwent further variations in spelling, including Liken, Lieken, and Licken. Among these was Johanna Liken (1745-1823), a German-born settler in Pennsylvania who is recorded as one of the earliest bearers of the name in North America.

Another notable figure was Pieter Lyken (1869-1942), a Dutch-American artist and illustrator who was renowned for his etchings and engravings depicting scenes of life in the Netherlands. His work helped preserve the cultural heritage of his homeland and gained recognition in both Europe and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lyken

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lyken.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lyken was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lyken was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lyken, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!