2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Miskey
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Micheal" or "descendant of Michael."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Miskey. 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 Miskey 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 Miskey 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 Miskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Miskey
The surname MISKEY is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, specifically in the region of modern-day Poland and Ukraine, during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Slavic word "miska," which means "small bowl" or "cup." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname for someone who made or sold such items.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MISKEY surname can be found in a Polish census record from the late 16th century, where it was spelled "Miskeya." This indicates that the name was already established in the region by that time. Additionally, there are references to individuals with variations of the name, such as "Miskiewicz" and "Miskovsky," in historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries in Poland and Ukraine.
In the 19th century, the MISKEY surname began to appear more frequently in records from Eastern European communities in the United States and Canada, likely due to immigration patterns during that era. One notable example is Jakub Miskey, a Polish-American inventor born in 1872, who was granted several patents for his work on early typewriter designs.
Other historically significant individuals with the MISKEY surname include:
1. Stanislav Miskey (1892-1975), a Ukrainian-born American artist known for his landscapes and portraits.
2. Andrei Miskey (1920-2001), a Romanian-born American engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early computer systems.
3. Katarina Miskey (1932-2010), a Polish-born Canadian author and poet whose works explored themes of immigration and cultural identity.
4. Mykola Miskey (1946-2018), a Ukrainian politician and diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to several nations.
5. Jana Miskey (born 1976), a Czech-born American actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films.
While the MISKEY surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name found in various countries and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Miskey
Among Census respondents with the surname Miskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Miskey 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 Miskey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Miskey
Miskey 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-16 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,778 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 21,778 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,403 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 Miskey 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 | #142,108 | #143,511 | -1.0% |
| Count | 117 | 118 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Miskey bearers went from 117 to 118 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #143,511.
FAQ
Miskey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Miskey?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Miskey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Miskey?
Miskey 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 Miskey. 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 Miskey.
Has Miskey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Miskey went from 117 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Miskey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Miskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Miskey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Miskey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Miskey (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 Miskey mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "son of Micheal" or "descendant of Michael." 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 Miskey (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 have the surname Miskey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.