2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nikitenko
A patronymic surname derived from the Russian name Nikita, meaning "victorious people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 236 Americans carry the last name Nikitenko. That puts it at #95,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,452,349 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nikitenko 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
236
1 in 1,452,349
Census rank
#95,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
206
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 206 bearers of the surname Nikitenko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 95069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nikitenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nikitenko
The surname NIKITENKO originated in Russia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Russian masculine given name Nikita, which in turn comes from the Greek name Niketas, meaning "victor" or "conquerer." The suffix "-enko" is a common patronymic ending in Russian surnames, indicating "son of."
NIKITENKO was most prevalent in central and southern Russia, particularly in the regions around Moscow and Voronezh. It is believed to have first appeared in historical records in the 15th or 16th centuries, though the exact date is uncertain. Similar spellings like Nikitenkov and Nikitko were also used in some areas.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Ivan Nikitenko, a merchant from Novgorod who was mentioned in a trade document dated to 1492. Another notable early bearer was Yegor Nikitenko, a Cossack leader who fought against Polish forces in the early 17th century.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the surname NIKITENKO achieved prominence in various fields. Afanasy Nikitenko (1804-1877) was a Russian writer, critic, and censor who kept a famous diary detailing the literary and social life of St. Petersburg. Grigory Nikitenko (1784-1853) was a respected mathematician and rector of the University of Kharkiv.
Other notable bearers of the surname include Pyotr Nikitenko (1846-1902), a Russian military engineer and inventor of the Nikitenko electric lamp, and Vasily Nikitenko (1913-1988), a Soviet Army general who fought in World War II and later served as a military adviser in various conflicts.
In more recent times, the name NIKITENKO has been associated with prominent figures such as Andrei Nikitenko (1915-1992), a Soviet and Russian novelist and playwright, and Yuri Nikitenko (born 1963), a Russian chess grandmaster and author.
The surname NIKITENKO continues to be widespread in Russia and other Slavic countries, reflecting its long history and deep roots in the region's culture and traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nikitenko
Among Census respondents with the surname Nikitenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nikitenko 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 Nikitenko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 200
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 5
- Two or more races0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nikitenko
Nikitenko 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
#113,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 155
+54 bearers (+53.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 36,173 places
2020
#95,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 206
+51 bearers (+32.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 18,086 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 | #113,155 | 155 | 0.05 | +54 bearers (+53.5%) | Up 36,173 places |
| 2020 | #95,069 | 206 | 0.07 | +51 bearers (+32.9%) | Up 18,086 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 Nikitenko 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 | #113,155 | #95,069 | 16.0% |
| Count | 155 | 206 | 32.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.07 | 37.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nikitenko bearers went from 155 to 206 (+32.9% change). The surname moved up 18,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #113,155 to #95,069.
FAQ
Nikitenko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nikitenko?
Name Census estimates that about 236 living Americans carry the surname Nikitenko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,452,349 residents.
How common is Nikitenko?
Nikitenko ranks #95,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 206 people with the surname Nikitenko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (236), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Nikitenko.
Has Nikitenko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nikitenko went from 155 recorded bearers to 206. That is an increase of 51 (+32.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #113,155 to #95,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Nikitenko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nikitenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Nikitenko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nikitenko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Nikitenko (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 Nikitenko mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Russian name Nikita, meaning "victorious people." 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 Nikitenko (0.07 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 Nikitenko?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.