2000
#46,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 432
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Salkin
A Jewish surname of uncertain origin, possibly from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 471 Americans carry the last name Salkin. That puts it at #54,177 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 727,716 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salkin 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
471
1 in 727,716
Census rank
#54,177
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
411
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 411 bearers of the surname Salkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54177th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salkin
The surname Salkin has its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and Ukraine. It is believed to have derived from the Slavic word "selka," which means "village dweller" or "peasant." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with individuals who lived in rural areas or were involved in agricultural activities.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, records show the name Salkin appearing in various regions of Russia and Ukraine. For instance, there are mentions of individuals with this surname in historical documents from the city of Smolensk, located in western Russia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Salkin dates back to 1632, when a man named Ivan Salkin was mentioned in a court document from the city of Novgorod. This document sheds light on a legal dispute involving Ivan Salkin and another individual over the ownership of a piece of land.
In the late 17th century, a prominent figure named Mikhail Salkin gained recognition as a skilled craftsman and artisan in the city of Moscow. He was renowned for his intricate woodcarvings and furniture designs, which were commissioned by members of the Russian nobility.
During the 18th century, the Salkin surname appeared in various regions of Ukraine, particularly in the areas around Kiev and Kharkiv. One notable individual was Yakov Salkin, born in 1745, who served as a respected military officer in the Russian Imperial Army.
In the 19th century, a family of Salkins settled in the city of Odessa, located in southern Ukraine. Grigory Salkin, born in 1812, was a successful merchant and trader, dealing in various goods such as textiles, spices, and agricultural products.
Another notable figure with the surname Salkin was Olga Salkin, born in 1876 in St. Petersburg, Russia. She was a renowned ballet dancer and choreographer, who performed with the prestigious Mariinsky Theatre and later became a respected dance instructor.
Over the centuries, the Salkin surname has also been associated with various place names and localities in Eastern Europe. For example, there are records of villages and settlements with names such as Salkinskaya, Salkinovo, and Salkinskoe, which may have been derived from the surname itself or vice versa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Salkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Salkin 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 Salkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 381
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 6
- Two or more races1.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salkin
Salkin 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
#48,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 432
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 2,374 places
2020
#54,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 411
-21 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 5,377 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,426 | 432 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,800 | 432 | 0.15 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,374 places |
| 2020 | #54,177 | 411 | 0.14 | -21 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 5,377 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 Salkin 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 | #48,800 | #54,177 | -11.0% |
| Count | 432 | 411 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salkin bearers went from 432 to 411 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 5,377 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,800 to #54,177.
FAQ
Salkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salkin?
Name Census estimates that about 471 living Americans carry the surname Salkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 727,716 residents.
How common is Salkin?
Salkin ranks #54,177 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 411 people with the surname Salkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (471), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Salkin.
Has Salkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salkin went from 432 recorded bearers to 411. That is a decrease of 21 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #48,800 to #54,177.
What does the Census say about the background of Salkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Salkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (381 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Salkin (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 Salkin mean?
A Jewish surname of uncertain origin, possibly from a place name. 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 Salkin (0.14 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 share the surname Salkin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.