2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Serkes
A surname possibly derived from the Turkish word "serkez" meaning rebel or nonconformist.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Serkes. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Serkes 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Serkes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Serkes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Serkes
The surname Serkes is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony in Germany during the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle Low German word 'serken', which means a type of coarse cloth or sackcloth. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked with this particular fabric.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Serkes name can be found in the Dortmund city archives from 1324, where a certain Henrich Serkes is mentioned as a resident. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as the Münster parish records of the late 15th century.
During the medieval period, the Serkes name was also found in various spellings, including Serkis, Serkez, and Serckis, reflecting the variations in local dialects and scribal practices of the time.
In the 16th century, a notable individual bearing the Serkes surname was Hans Serkes, a merchant and guild member in the city of Bremen. He is recorded as having been born around 1520 and played a significant role in the local trade and commerce of the time.
Another historical figure with this surname was Johann Serkes, a Lutheran theologian and writer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in the town of Quedlinburg in 1572 and wrote several treatises on religious subjects that were widely circulated during the Protestant Reformation.
In the 18th century, the Serkes name appears in connection with the town of Neuwied in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. A certain Friedrich Serkes, born in 1732, was a prominent citizen and landowner in the area, and his descendants continued to play a role in the local community for generations.
Another noteworthy individual was Karl Serkes, a German artist and engraver who lived from 1789 to 1865. He was known for his intricate copper engravings and was a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts.
While the Serkes surname has its roots in Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and the world, likely due to migration and the spread of German settlers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Serkes
Among Census respondents with the surname Serkes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Serkes 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 Serkes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 4
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Serkes
Serkes 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,906 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,552 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 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 7,906 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 1,552 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 Serkes 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 | #157,234 | #155,682 | 1.0% |
| Count | 103 | 100 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Serkes bearers went from 103 to 100 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 1,552 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #155,682.
FAQ
Serkes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Serkes?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Serkes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Serkes?
Serkes ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Serkes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Serkes.
Has Serkes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Serkes went from 103 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Serkes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Serkes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Serkes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Serkes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (7.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Serkes (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 Serkes mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Turkish word "serkez" meaning rebel or nonconformist. 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 Serkes (0.03 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 common is the surname Serkes?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Serkes? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.