2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mikla
A surname believed to be of Scandinavian origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Mikla. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mikla 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Mikla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikla, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mikla
The surname MIKLA has its origins in the Czech Republic, first appearing in records from the late 15th century. It is believed to derive from the Czech word "mikuláš," which was a variant of the name Nicholas that was commonly used in the region during that time period. The name likely originated in the town of Mikulov, located in the southern part of the country near the Austrian border.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MIKLA surname can be found in a 1492 census record from the town of Znojmo, which lists a "Jan Mikla" as a resident. The name also appears in several 16th century church records from various villages in the Moravia region, indicating that it had spread beyond its initial origins.
In the 17th century, the MIKLA name began to appear in written works, including a 1623 mention in the Czech-language book "Kniha o stavu selském" by Václav Vratislav z Mitrovic, which discussed the lives of peasants in the region. A "Tomáš Mikla" from the village of Velké Bílovice is cited as one of the author's sources.
As the name grew more widespread, variations in spelling began to emerge, with forms like "Mykla" and "Miklau" appearing in some records from the 1700s. One notable bearer was Jan Mikla (1693-1777), a farmer and tavern owner from the town of Hustopeče who became a local figure of importance.
By the 19th century, the MIKLA surname had spread to other parts of Europe, with records showing individuals of that name living in Poland, Germany, and even as far as Russia. A famous bearer from this period was the Czech painter Josef Mikla (1829-1887), whose works depicting scenes of rural life gained widespread acclaim.
Other historically significant people with the surname MIKLA include Alois Mikla (1826-1903), an Austrian inventor who patented an early form of the typewriter, and Žofie Miklová (1847-1919), a Czech writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and education reform in the late 1800s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mikla
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikla, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mikla 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 Mikla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 104
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mikla
Mikla appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 5,438 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 Mikla 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 | #146,201 | #151,639 | -3.7% |
| Count | 113 | 107 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mikla bearers went from 113 to 107 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 5,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #151,639.
FAQ
Mikla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mikla?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Mikla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Mikla?
Mikla ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Mikla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Mikla.
Has Mikla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mikla went from 113 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Mikla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikla, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Mikla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mikla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Black (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Mikla (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 Mikla mean?
A surname believed to be of Scandinavian origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Mikla (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 Americans have the surname Mikla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.