2000
#11,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,410
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Mika
A shortened form of various Slavic surnames derived from the personal name Mikolaj, meaning "people of Mikolaj."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,593 Americans carry the last name Mika. That puts it at #12,990 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,184 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mika 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 Mika with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,184
Census rank
#12,990
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,261 bearers of the surname Mika in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12990th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mika, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mika
The surname Mika originates from Finland, where it first appeared in the 16th century. The name is derived from the Finnish given name Mikko, which is a variant of the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God." The earliest recorded instances of the name Mika in Finland can be found in church records from the late 1500s.
In its early usage, Mika was primarily concentrated in the western regions of Finland, particularly in the provinces of Satakunta and Ostrobothnia. The name may have been influenced by the Swedish language, as the Swedish form of Michael is "Mikael," which likely contributed to the emergence of the Finnish variant Mika.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Mika was Matti Mika, a farmer from the village of Lapua in Ostrobothnia, who was born in the late 16th century. Another notable early bearer of the name was Jaakko Mika, a merchant from Turku, who lived in the 17th century.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Mika surname began to spread more widely throughout Finland, and it can be found in various historical documents and records from that period. One prominent individual with this surname was Gustaf Mika (1798-1857), a Finnish military officer who fought in the Finnish War of 1808-1809 against Russia.
Another notable figure was Matti Mika (1825-1899), a Finnish farmer and member of the Finnish Diet (parliament) in the late 19th century. He played a significant role in advocating for the rights of Finnish-speaking peasants and farmers.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Mika was Tönne Mika (1908-1982), a Finnish artist and sculptor known for his modernist works. His sculptures can be found in various public spaces throughout Finland.
Additionally, Arto Mika (born 1944) is a Finnish writer and journalist who has published numerous novels, short stories, and non-fiction works, contributing significantly to Finnish literature.
Overall, the surname Mika has a long and rich history in Finland, tracing its roots back to the 16th century and reflecting the country's cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mika
Among Census respondents with the surname Mika, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mika 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 Mika surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 1,978
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 105
- Two or more races3.7% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 61
- Black or African American1.4% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mika
Mika 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
#12,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,451
+41 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 734 places
2020
#12,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,261
-190 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,893 | 2,410 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,627 | 2,451 | 0.83 | +41 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 734 places |
| 2020 | #12,990 | 2,261 | 0.76 | -190 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 363 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 Mika 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 | #12,627 | #12,990 | -2.9% |
| Count | 2,451 | 2,261 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.76 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mika bearers went from 2,451 to 2,261 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,627 to #12,990.
FAQ
Mika surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mika?
Name Census estimates that about 2,593 living Americans carry the surname Mika. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,184 residents.
How common is Mika?
Mika ranks #12,990 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,261 people with the surname Mika. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,593), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Mika.
Has Mika become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mika went from 2,451 recorded bearers to 2,261. That is a decrease of 190 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,627 to #12,990.
What does the Census say about the background of Mika?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mika, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mika in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (1,978 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mika appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Mika (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 Mika mean?
A shortened form of various Slavic surnames derived from the personal name Mikolaj, meaning "people of Mikolaj." 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 Mika (0.76 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 surname Mika?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.