2000
#22,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,075
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Shimkus
A surname derived from a Yiddish term referring to a person with a flat nose.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,186 Americans carry the last name Shimkus. That puts it at #25,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 289,000 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shimkus 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
1.2K
1 in 289,000
Census rank
#25,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,034 bearers of the surname Shimkus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 16th century, the name appeared in various historical documents from the region, with variations in spelling such as "Szimkus" and "Schimkus."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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shimkus
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Shimkus 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 Shimkus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 943
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 43
- Two or more races3.2% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shimkus
Shimkus 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
#23,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,066
-9 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 1,385 places
2020
#25,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,034
-32 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 1,374 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,352 | 1,075 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,737 | 1,066 | 0.36 | -9 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 1,385 places |
| 2020 | #25,111 | 1,034 | 0.35 | -32 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 1,374 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 Shimkus 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 | #23,737 | #25,111 | -5.8% |
| Count | 1,066 | 1,034 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.35 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shimkus bearers went from 1,066 to 1,034 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 1,374 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,737 to #25,111.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shimkus
FAQ
Shimkus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shimkus?
Name Census estimates that about 1,186 living Americans carry the surname Shimkus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 289,000 residents.
How common is Shimkus?
Shimkus ranks #25,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,034 people with the surname Shimkus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,186), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Shimkus.
Has Shimkus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shimkus went from 1,066 recorded bearers to 1,034. That is a decrease of 32 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,737 to #25,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Shimkus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Shimkus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (943 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shimkus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Shimkus (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 Shimkus mean?
A surname derived from a Yiddish term referring to a person with a flat nose. 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 Shimkus (0.35 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 Americans have the surname Shimkus?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.