2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Relkin
An Americanized version of a Jewish surname derived from a placename or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Relkin. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Relkin 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Relkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Relkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Relkin
The surname RELKIN is believed to have originated in the Frisian region of the Netherlands during the early medieval period, around the 9th or 10th century. It is derived from the Old Frisian word "relk," which means "tall" or "large." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive nickname to someone of considerable height or stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RELKIN surname can be found in the Registers of Friesland, a collection of legal documents and records dating back to the 13th century. In these registers, a certain Sibrand RELKIN is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Sneek in the year 1287.
The RELKIN name also appears in several other historical documents from the Netherlands and surrounding regions. For instance, a Johannes RELKIN is listed as a merchant in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful trade confederation that dominated maritime commerce in Northern Europe during the late Middle Ages.
As the surname spread beyond its Frisian origins, it underwent various spelling variations, such as RELKYN, RELKYN, and RELKEN. These alternative spellings can be found in various records from the 15th and 16th centuries, including parish registers and tax rolls.
One notable individual with the RELKIN surname was Pieter RELKIN, a Dutch artist and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His etchings and engravings, particularly those depicting biblical scenes, were highly sought after during his lifetime and are still admired today by art historians and collectors.
In the 17th century, a branch of the RELKIN family emigrated from the Netherlands to the British Isles, where the name was anglicized to RELKIN. One of the earliest recorded RELKIN individuals in England was Hendrick RELKIN, a merchant from Amsterdam who settled in London in the 1640s.
Another prominent figure bearing the RELKIN surname was Johan RELKIN, a Dutch theologian and philosopher who lived from 1622 to 1690. He was a prominent figure in the Remonstrant Brotherhood, a Protestant Christian movement that emerged in the early 17th century in the Netherlands.
As the RELKIN surname spread across Europe and beyond, it continued to be associated with various professions and walks of life. For example, in the 18th century, a certain Willem RELKIN was a respected shipbuilder in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), while in the 19th century, a German-born painter named Franz RELKIN gained recognition for his landscapes and portraiture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Relkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Relkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Relkin 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 Relkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Relkin
Relkin 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,706 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,706 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,072 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 Relkin 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 | #143,149 | #147,221 | -2.8% |
| Count | 116 | 113 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Relkin bearers went from 116 to 113 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #147,221.
FAQ
Relkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Relkin?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Relkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Relkin?
Relkin ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Relkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Relkin.
Has Relkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Relkin went from 116 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Relkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Relkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Relkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Relkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (7.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Relkin (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 Relkin mean?
An Americanized version of a Jewish surname derived from a placename or occupation. 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 Relkin (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 are called Relkin?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Relkin, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.