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

Menkin, 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 Menkin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Menkin in America

Menkin is the 128249th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Menkin surname appeared 133 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 Menkin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Menkin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Menkin

The surname Menkin originated in Russia in the late 18th century. It is believed to have derived from the Russian word "menka," which means "small" or "little." The name was likely given to someone of small stature or as a nickname for a younger sibling.

Menkin is a variation of the more common Russian surname Menshikov, which has a similar meaning. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Menkin can be found in census records and parish registries from the regions of Smolensk and Bryansk in western Russia.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Pyotr Menkin, a merchant who lived in the town of Dorogobuzh in the late 1700s. Another notable figure was Ilya Menkin, a soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Cross of St. George for his bravery in 1812.

In the 19th century, the name appeared in various Russian literary works, including the novel "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev, where a minor character is referred to as Menkin. This suggests that the name was widely recognized in Russian society at the time.

During the early 20th century, several individuals with the surname Menkin achieved recognition in different fields. Vasily Menkin (1886-1938) was a renowned painter and member of the avant-garde art movement in Russia. His works were exhibited in major galleries across the country.

Another notable bearer of the name was Grigory Menkin (1892-1957), a renowned chess player who competed in several international tournaments. He was awarded the title of International Master by the World Chess Federation in 1950.

In the realm of science, Nikolai Menkin (1909-1987) was a prominent physicist who made significant contributions to the study of nuclear reactions. He worked at the prestigious Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow and published numerous research papers.

While the surname Menkin is relatively uncommon outside of Russia, it has been carried by individuals who have left their mark in various aspects of Russian culture, art, and intellectual life throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Menkin

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

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 Menkin 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Menkin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Menkin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Menkin, 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!