2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Rekus
A Polish surname derived from the regional name 'Rekusz'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Rekus. 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 Rekus 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 Rekus 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 Rekus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rekus
The surname REKUS originated in Lithuania during the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Lithuanian word "rėkti," meaning "to shout" or "to yell." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had a loud or boisterous voice.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the REKUS surname can be found in a document from the town of Kaunas, dated 1487. The document mentions a man named Jonas REKUS, who was a farmer and landowner in the region.
In the 16th century, the REKUS name began to spread to other parts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which at that time included parts of modern-day Belarus, Poland, and Ukraine. There are records of a family with the surname REKUS living in the town of Vilnius in the late 1500s.
During the 17th century, the REKUS name appeared in various records and manuscripts throughout the Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth. One notable figure from this period was Mykolas REKUS, who was born in 1623 and served as a military officer in the Lithuanian army.
The 18th century saw the REKUS name spread further, with families bearing the surname found in various regions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1763, a man named Antanas REKUS was recorded as being a landowner in the town of Zypliai, which is now part of modern-day Belarus.
In the 19th century, the REKUS surname continued to be present in various parts of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable figure from this time was Juozas REKUS, who was born in 1842 and became a prominent writer and poet in Lithuania.
Other notable individuals with the REKUS surname throughout history include:
1. Petras REKUS (1789-1867), a Lithuanian philosopher and educator.
2. Marija REKUS (1856-1932), a Lithuanian painter and artist.
3. Antanas REKUS (1903-1987), a Lithuanian sculptor and woodcarver.
4. Jonas REKUS (1921-2001), a Lithuanian writer and playwright.
5. Algirdas REKUS (born 1951), a Lithuanian politician and former member of the Seimas (Lithuanian parliament).
While the REKUS surname is not as common today as it was in the past, it remains an important part of Lithuanian heritage and history, with its roots stretching back to the 15th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rekus
Among Census respondents with the surname Rekus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rekus 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 Rekus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 110
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rekus
Rekus appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+17 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 15,644 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 Rekus 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 | #158,432 | #142,788 | 9.9% |
| Count | 102 | 119 | 16.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rekus bearers went from 102 to 119 (+16.7% change). The surname moved up 15,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #142,788.
FAQ
Rekus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rekus?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Rekus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Rekus?
Rekus 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 Rekus. 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 Rekus.
Has Rekus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rekus went from 102 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 17 (+16.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Rekus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rekus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Rekus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rekus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (1.7%). 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 Rekus (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 Rekus mean?
A Polish surname derived from the regional name 'Rekusz'. 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 Rekus (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 Americans have the surname Rekus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.