2000
#104,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Minsker
A surname denoting someone from the city of Minsk or the surrounding region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 180 Americans carry the last name Minsker. That puts it at #117,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,904,191 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Minsker 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
180
1 in 1,904,191
Census rank
#117,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
157
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 157 bearers of the surname Minsker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 117309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Minsker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Minsker
The surname Minsker is of Russian origin and is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the city of Minsk, which was a prominent trading center and the capital of present-day Belarus. The name is thought to have been adopted by individuals who either resided in or were originally from the Minsk region.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Minsker can be traced back to historical documents and records from the 17th century. One notable mention is found in the Razryadnye Knigi, a collection of official documents maintained by the Razryadny Prikaz (the department responsible for military affairs and appointments in Muscovy). This reference dates back to the late 1600s and suggests that the name was already in use among the nobility and military classes during that period.
In the 18th century, the surname Minsker appeared in various census records and tax registers across the Russian Empire. One notable individual from this era was Andrei Minsker (1712-1794), a merchant and landowner who owned several estates in the Smolensk region. His son, Ivan Minsker (1745-1822), was a prominent figure in the local administration and held several important positions in the provincial government.
As the Russian Empire expanded its territories, the surname Minsker spread to other regions, including present-day Ukraine and Belarus. In the 19th century, Mikhail Minsker (1810-1887) was a respected academic and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Slavic languages. He served as a professor at the University of St. Petersburg and published several influential works on the subject.
Another notable figure was Yekaterina Minsker (1865-1942), a philanthropist and activist who founded several charitable organizations in Moscow. Her efforts focused on improving the living conditions of orphans and underprivileged children, and she was widely respected for her humanitarian work.
In the early 20th century, Aleksandr Minsker (1898-1972) was a renowned architect who played a significant role in the reconstruction of several cities in the Soviet Union after World War II. His most notable works include the design of several government buildings and public spaces in Minsk, as well as the reconstruction efforts in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) following the Siege of Leningrad.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Minsker
Among Census respondents with the surname Minsker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Minsker 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 Minsker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 140
- Two or more races5.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Minsker
Minsker 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
#107,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
+7 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 2,877 places
2020
#117,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
-9 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #104,257 | 159 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #107,134 | 166 | 0.06 | +7 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 2,877 places |
| 2020 | #117,309 | 157 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 10,175 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 Minsker 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 | #107,134 | #117,309 | -9.5% |
| Count | 166 | 157 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Minsker bearers went from 166 to 157 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 10,175 positions in the national ranking, going from #107,134 to #117,309.
FAQ
Minsker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Minsker?
Name Census estimates that about 180 living Americans carry the surname Minsker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,904,191 residents.
How common is Minsker?
Minsker ranks #117,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 157 people with the surname Minsker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (180), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Minsker.
Has Minsker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Minsker went from 166 recorded bearers to 157. That is a decrease of 9 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #107,134 to #117,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Minsker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Minsker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Minsker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Minsker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Minsker (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 Minsker mean?
A surname denoting someone from the city of Minsk or the surrounding region. 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 Minsker (0.05 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 Minsker?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Minsker at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.