2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mikesic
A surname of Croatian origin meaning "small" or "little one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Mikesic. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mikesic 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Mikesic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikesic, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mikesic
The surname Mikesic is of Croatian origin, believed to have emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century. It is thought to have roots in the Slavic word "mikeš," which means "small" or "little." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive moniker for someone of small stature or a child.
Over the centuries, the name Mikesic has been found in various historical records and documents from the regions that now make up modern-day Croatia. In the 16th century, there are mentions of individuals bearing this surname in the coastal town of Trogir, which was then part of the Venetian Republic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mikesic can be found in the parish records of the Church of St. Lawrence in Trogir, dating back to the late 1500s. These records document the baptism of a child named Mihovil Mikesic in 1587.
In the 17th century, there are references to a family of merchants and traders from the city of Zadar who bore the Mikesic surname. One notable member of this family was Ivan Mikesic, a successful trader who lived from 1625 to 1698.
As the name spread across the Dalmatian region, it took on various spellings and variations, such as Mikešić, Mikešić, and Mikeščić. These variations often reflected local dialects and pronunciation differences.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Mikesic surname was Mate Mikesic, a Croatian writer and poet who was born in 1824 in the town of Drniš. He is best known for his contributions to the Dalmatian Renaissance literary movement.
Another notable individual with this surname was Ivan Mikesic, a Croatian engineer and inventor who lived from 1867 to 1942. He is credited with designing and constructing the first electric streetcar system in Zagreb, which began operating in 1891.
Throughout history, the Mikesic name has also been associated with various locations and place names in Croatia. For example, there is a village called Mikšić near the city of Šibenik, which may have derived its name from a family bearing the Mikesic surname.
While the surname Mikesic is not among the most common in Croatia today, it has a rich history and a presence that can be traced back several centuries in the region's records and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mikesic
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikesic, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Mikesic 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 Mikesic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 118
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mikesic
Mikesic 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+18 bearers (+15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 6,241 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-18 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +18 bearers (+15.3%) | Up 6,241 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 17,493 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 Mikesic 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 | #126,018 | #143,511 | -13.9% |
| Count | 136 | 118 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mikesic bearers went from 136 to 118 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 17,493 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #143,511.
FAQ
Mikesic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mikesic?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Mikesic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Mikesic?
Mikesic ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Mikesic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mikesic.
Has Mikesic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mikesic went from 136 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Mikesic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikesic, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Mikesic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mikesic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Mikesic (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 Mikesic mean?
A surname of Croatian origin meaning "small" or "little one". 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 Mikesic (0.04 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 are called Mikesic?
You can see how common the surname Mikesic is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.