2000
#6,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,582
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Midkiff
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "mid cliff" or "the middle of a steep slope."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,026 Americans carry the last name Midkiff. That puts it at #7,329 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,196 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Midkiff 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
5.0K
1 in 68,196
Census rank
#7,329
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,383 bearers of the surname Midkiff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7329th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Midkiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Midkiff
The surname Midkiff is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "midd" meaning "middle" and "cyff" meaning "ridge" or "hill." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived on or near a middle ridge or hill.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Midkiff can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, including Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Midkiff, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire in 1327.
In the 14th century, variations of the name appeared in historical records, such as Middekeff and Midkyff, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common during that time period. The Midkiff surname was also associated with several place names, such as Midkiff Grange in Derbyshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the Midkiff surname include William Midkiff (1570-1635), a prominent landowner and merchant in Staffordshire, and Elizabeth Midkiff (1625-1682), a Puritan writer and poet from Warwickshire. In the 18th century, John Midkiff (1712-1781) was a respected farmer and community leader in Derbyshire, while his son, Thomas Midkiff (1745-1823), served as a captain in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable figure was Sir Robert Midkiff (1825-1901), a British politician and businessman who served as a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire and played a significant role in the industrial development of the region. In more recent times, William Midkiff (1915-2002) was a renowned historian and author who published several books on the history and genealogy of the Midkiff family.
While the Midkiff surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to North America and other English-speaking countries. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it emerged as a descriptive surname denoting an individual's geographic location or proximity to a middle ridge or hill.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Midkiff
Among Census respondents with the surname Midkiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Midkiff 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 Midkiff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 4,047
- Two or more races2.9% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 114
- Black or African American1.0% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Midkiff
Midkiff 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
#7,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,523
-59 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 585 places
2020
#7,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,383
-140 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Up 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,781 | 4,582 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,366 | 4,523 | 1.53 | -59 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 585 places |
| 2020 | #7,329 | 4,383 | 1.47 | -140 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 37 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 Midkiff 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 | #7,366 | #7,329 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,523 | 4,383 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.47 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Midkiff bearers went from 4,523 to 4,383 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,366 to #7,329.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Midkiff
FAQ
Midkiff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Midkiff?
Name Census estimates that about 5,026 living Americans carry the surname Midkiff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,196 residents.
How common is Midkiff?
Midkiff ranks #7,329 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,383 people with the surname Midkiff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Midkiff.
Has Midkiff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Midkiff went from 4,523 recorded bearers to 4,383. That is a decrease of 140 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,366 to #7,329.
What does the Census say about the background of Midkiff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Midkiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Midkiff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (4,047 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Midkiff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Midkiff (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 Midkiff mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "mid cliff" or "the middle of a steep slope." 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 Midkiff (1.47 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 share the surname Midkiff?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.