Salkey last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Salkey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Salkey.

Meaning of Salkey

A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or an occupational term.

Salkey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Salkey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Salkey in America

Salkey is the 116201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Salkey surname appeared 150 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Salkey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Salkey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 116201 107565 7.72%
Count 150 153 -1.98%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.06 -18.18%

The history of the last name Salkey

The surname Salkey is of English origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name, possibly derived from the Old English words "sealh" meaning willow and "leah" meaning meadow or clearing, indicating that the name likely referred to a willow meadow or clearing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "Salkeye." This suggests that the surname was already established in England by the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1524, where it is spelled "Salkey." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

Historically, the Salkey family seems to have been concentrated in the southern counties of England, particularly in Sussex and Surrey. However, the name also appears in other parts of the country, indicating that members of the family may have migrated or established themselves in different regions.

Notable individuals with the surname Salkey include:

  1. Sir John Salkey (c. 1562 - 1642), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Horsham in 1621.
  2. Thomas Salkey (c. 1630 - 1691), an English mathematician and astrologer known for his work on logarithms and astronomical calculations.
  3. Melville Salkey (1901 - 1971), a Jamaican-born British writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the Caribbean literary scene.
  4. Andrew Salkey (1928 - 1995), a Jamaican novelist, poet, and academic who was a significant voice in Caribbean literature.
  5. William Salkey (1943 - 2010), a British actor and playwright known for his work in television and theater productions.

While the surname Salkey may have originated from a place name, it has since become established as a family name carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Salkey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Salkey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Salkey was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 6.00% 9
Non-Hispanic Black Only 72.00% 108
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 12.67% 19
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.33% 5
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Salkey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 6.00% 6.54% -8.61%
Black 72.00% 72.55% -0.76%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 12.67% 11.76% 7.45%
Two or More Races 3.33% 8.50% -87.40%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Salkey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Salkey, please contact us.

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"Salkey last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/salkey-surname-popularity/.

"Salkey last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/salkey-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Salkey last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/salkey-surname-popularity/.

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