2000
#3,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,068
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.73
Uncommon Last name
Sikes
Derived from the Old English given name "Sigeric," meaning "victorious" or "triumphant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,130 Americans carry the last name Sikes. That puts it at #3,582 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,796 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sikes 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sikes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,796
Census rank
#3,582
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,706 bearers of the surname Sikes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3582nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikes, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sikes
The surname Sikes has its origins in England, with the name first emerging in the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words "sic" meaning "trench" or "gully" and "hyll" meaning "hill." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name referring to a settlement near a trench or gully on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Sikes can be found in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire from 1219, where a person named Robert de Sikes was mentioned. The name also appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1230, with a reference to a William de Sikes.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname appeared in various records with spellings such as Syke, Sike, and Sykes, reflecting the evolving nature of surnames and the influence of local dialects and scribes' interpretations.
In the 16th century, the surname Sikes was found in the Parish Registers of Derbyshire, where a Thomas Sikes was recorded in 1533. Another notable bearer of the name was Richard Sikes, who was born in 1590 and served as the Vicar of Pontefract in Yorkshire.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Sikes was William Sikes, a fictional character in Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist," published in 1838. Although a literary creation, the character's name reflects the historical prevalence of the surname in Yorkshire and surrounding areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sikes include:
1. Thomas Sikes (1766-1834), an English clergyman and author who wrote on botany and natural history.
2. Alfred Sikes (1847-1928), an English cricketer who played for Essex County Cricket Club.
3. Edward Sikes (1842-1923), an American politician who served as the 28th Governor of South Dakota from 1909 to 1913.
4. Wirt Sikes (1836-1912), an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Attorney General from 1906 to 1909.
5. Walter Sikes (1858-1927), an English painter known for his landscapes and portraiture.
The surname Sikes has a long and rich history, with its origins rooted in the place names and settlements of medieval England. While the name has evolved over centuries, it continues to be associated with its English heritage and the areas where it first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sikes
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikes, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sikes 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 Sikes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 8,626
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 339
- Two or more races3.3% · 321
- Black or African American3.1% · 300
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sikes
Sikes 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
#3,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,280
+212 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.48
Rank movement Down 218 places
2020
#3,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,706
-574 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 3.25
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,257 | 10,068 | 3.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,475 | 10,280 | 3.48 | +212 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 218 places |
| 2020 | #3,582 | 9,706 | 3.25 | -574 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 107 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 Sikes 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 | #3,475 | #3,582 | -3.1% |
| Count | 10,280 | 9,706 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.48 | 3.25 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sikes bearers went from 10,280 to 9,706 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,475 to #3,582.
FAQ
Sikes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sikes?
Name Census estimates that about 11,130 living Americans carry the surname Sikes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,796 residents.
How common is Sikes?
Sikes ranks #3,582 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,706 people with the surname Sikes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Sikes.
Has Sikes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sikes went from 10,280 recorded bearers to 9,706. That is a decrease of 574 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,475 to #3,582.
What does the Census say about the background of Sikes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikes, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Sikes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (8,626 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sikes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Sikes (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 Sikes mean?
Derived from the Old English given name "Sigeric," meaning "victorious" or "triumphant." 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 Sikes (3.25 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 have the last name Sikes?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Sikes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.