2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mirkes
An occupational surname derived from the German word for mariner or sailor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Mirkes. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mirkes 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Mirkes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mirkes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mirkes
The surname Mirkes has its origins in the region of Eastern Europe, specifically in areas that are now part of modern-day Poland and Ukraine. Its earliest recorded instances date back to the 15th century, with variations in spelling such as Mirkess, Myrkes, and Mirkies. The name is believed to have derived from an old Slavic word meaning "dark" or "swarthy," possibly describing the physical appearance or complexion of an early bearer of the name.
In the 16th century, records show that a notable Mirkes family resided in the town of Lublin, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Jan Mirkes, a merchant and landowner who lived in Lublin in the late 1500s. Historical accounts also mention a Franciszek Mirkes, a soldier who served in the Polish army during the Polish-Swedish War of the 17th century.
As the Mirkes name spread across Eastern Europe, it was adopted by various families of different backgrounds and occupations. In the 18th century, a notable figure was Katarzyna Mirkes, a renowned herbalist and healer from the region of Podolia, now part of modern-day Ukraine. Her knowledge of traditional remedies and natural cures was widely respected among the local population.
In the 19th century, the Mirkes surname gained prominence in the field of academia. Aleksander Mirkes, born in 1824 in the city of Lviv (then part of the Austrian Empire), was a respected linguist and philologist who contributed significantly to the study of Slavic languages. His scholarly works on the origins and development of various Slavic dialects are still referenced by linguists today.
Another noteworthy individual from this era was Józef Mirkes, a Polish artist and painter who was born in 1860 in the town of Białystok. His landscapes and portraits, often depicting scenes from rural life in Eastern Europe, were highly acclaimed and exhibited in several prestigious galleries across Europe.
As the 20th century dawned, the Mirkes name continued to be associated with various professions and fields of expertise. One such individual was Irena Mirkes, a Polish mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the development of mathematical curricula in her home country. She was born in 1910 and dedicated her life to advancing mathematics education, authoring numerous textbooks and teaching guides that were widely used in Polish schools.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mirkes
Among Census respondents with the surname Mirkes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mirkes 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 Mirkes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mirkes
Mirkes 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+12 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,127 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 3,127 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,413 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 Mirkes 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 | #142,788 | 2.3% |
| Count | 113 | 119 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mirkes bearers went from 113 to 119 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,413 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #142,788.
FAQ
Mirkes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mirkes?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Mirkes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Mirkes?
Mirkes ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Mirkes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Mirkes.
Has Mirkes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mirkes went from 113 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Mirkes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mirkes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mirkes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mirkes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mirkes (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 Mirkes mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word for mariner or sailor. 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 Mirkes (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 common is the surname Mirkes?
If you just want to know how many people are called Mirkes, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.