Miko
A surname derived from the Polish word "miko" meaning "Michael" or "son of Michael".
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 823 Americans carry the last name Miko. That puts it at #32,485 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 416,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Miko surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
823
1 in 416,469
Census rank
#32,485
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
708
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 708 bearers of the surname Miko in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32485th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Miko, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Miko
The surname MIKO has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in Poland and Ukraine. It is believed to have originated in the late 15th or early 16th century as a nickname or diminutive form of the Slavic name "Michal" or "Michael."
In its earliest recorded instances, the name was often spelled as "Michko" or "Mychko," which were variations of the Polish and Ukrainian spellings of the name Michael. The transition to the modern spelling of "MIKO" likely occurred over time as the name was adopted and adapted by different Slavic communities.
One of the earliest known references to the name MIKO can be found in the Polish Nobility Records (Zapiski Heraldyczne) from the 16th century, where it was mentioned in connection with a family of minor nobility from the Lublin region of eastern Poland.
In the 17th century, there are records of a prominent Ukrainian Cossack leader named Petro MIKO, who played a significant role in the Cossack uprisings against Polish rule. He was born around 1595 and died in 1647.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Jakub MIKO, a Polish poet and writer who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (1756-1828). He is best known for his satirical works and contributions to the Polish Enlightenment movement.
In the 19th century, the name MIKO was also found in historical records from the regions of Galicia (now part of modern-day Ukraine and Poland) and Bukovina (now part of Romania and Ukraine). One example is Hryhoriy MIKO, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest and writer who lived from 1835 to 1923.
A more contemporary figure was Jerzy MIKO, a Polish historian and academic who specialized in the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was born in 1925 and passed away in 2018.
While these are just a few examples, the surname MIKO has a rich history that spans several centuries and regions of Eastern Europe, reflecting the cultural and historical influences of the Slavic peoples who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Miko
Among Census respondents with the surname Miko, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Miko bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Miko surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7%
- Hispanic or Latino3.8%
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5%
- Unknown or suppressed1.6%
- Two or more races1.4%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Miko surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #33,169 | #32,485 | 2.1% |
| Count | 650 | 708 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.24 | 0.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Miko bearers went from 650 to 708 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 684 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,169 to #32,485.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Miko
FAQ
Miko surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Miko?
The surname Miko holds position #32,485 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 823 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Miko surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Miko, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.