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

Shimkus, 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 Shimkus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shimkus in America

Shimkus is the 23737th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shimkus surname appeared 1,066 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 Shimkus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shimkus 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.

The history of the last name Shimkus

The surname Shimkus is of Lithuanian origin, tracing its roots back to the 15th century in the Baltic region. It is likely derived from the Lithuanian word "šimelė," which means "gray horse." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with or owned gray horses.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Shimkus name can be found in the chronicles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which mention a nobleman named Mykolas Shimkus in the late 1400s. He was a prominent figure in the court of Grand Duke Alexander and played a role in the negotiations between Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various historical documents from the region, with variations in spelling such as "Szimkus" and "Schimkus." These records often referred to landowners, merchants, and artisans bearing the Shimkus name.

A notable figure in the history of the Shimkus surname was Jonas Shimkus, born in 1620 in the town of Vilnius. He was a renowned scholar and writer who contributed to the development of the Lithuanian language and literature during the Renaissance period.

Another individual of historical significance was Marija Shimkus, born in 1783 in the village of Kaunas. She was a prominent activist who played a crucial role in the Lithuanian national revival movement of the 19th century, advocating for the preservation of Lithuanian culture and language.

In the early 20th century, Antanas Shimkus, born in 1892, gained recognition as a talented artist and painter. His works were widely celebrated and can be found in various art galleries and museums across Lithuania.

It is worth noting that some variations of the Shimkus surname can be traced back to specific regions or towns within Lithuania, such as Shimkauskas from the town of Šiauliai, or Shimkevičius from the Vilnius region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shimkus

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

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 Shimkus was:

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 Shimkus has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Shimkus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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