2000
#5,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,449
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Sikora
An occupational surname referring to a woodcutter or lumberjack in Polish, Czech, and Slovak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,153 Americans carry the last name Sikora. That puts it at #6,121 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,705 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sikora 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 Sikora with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,705
Census rank
#6,121
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,366 bearers of the surname Sikora in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6121st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikora, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sikora
The surname Sikora is of Polish origin, deriving from the Polish word "sikora" which means "titmouse" or a small bird in the tit family. This suggests that the name may have originated as a nickname for someone with bird-like characteristics or mannerisms.
The earliest known record of the Sikora surname dates back to the 15th century in Poland. There are mentions of individuals with this name in various historical records and documents from that period onwards.
One notable early bearer of the Sikora name was Jan Sikora, a Polish nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 16th century. He is recorded as having participated in several battles against the Swedes during the Polish-Swedish wars of that time.
Another historical figure with the Sikora surname was Wojciech Sikora, a Polish mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 17th century. He is best known for his work on calculating the positions of celestial bodies and for his contributions to the development of early astronomical instruments.
In the 18th century, there was a Polish painter named Franciszek Sikora, who was known for his religious-themed paintings and frescoes in churches throughout Poland.
During the 19th century, Józef Sikora was a prominent Polish writer and journalist who published numerous articles and essays on social and political issues of the time.
Andrzej Sikora, born in 1942, is a contemporary Polish film director and screenwriter who has directed several acclaimed movies, including "The Dress" and "The Reverse".
While the Sikora surname is predominantly found in Poland, it has also spread to other countries due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots and origins can be traced back to the Polish language and its early use as a descriptive nickname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sikora
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikora, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sikora 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 Sikora surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 4,972
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 169
- Two or more races2.6% · 141
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 51
- Black or African American0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sikora
Sikora 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
#6,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,604
+155 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 307 places
2020
#6,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,366
-238 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,812 | 5,449 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,119 | 5,604 | 1.90 | +155 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 307 places |
| 2020 | #6,121 | 5,366 | 1.80 | -238 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 2 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 Sikora 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 | #6,119 | #6,121 | -0.0% |
| Count | 5,604 | 5,366 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 1.80 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sikora bearers went from 5,604 to 5,366 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,119 to #6,121.
FAQ
Sikora surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sikora?
Name Census estimates that about 6,153 living Americans carry the surname Sikora. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,705 residents.
How common is Sikora?
Sikora ranks #6,121 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,366 people with the surname Sikora. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,153), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sikora.
Has Sikora become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sikora went from 5,604 recorded bearers to 5,366. That is a decrease of 238 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,119 to #6,121.
What does the Census say about the background of Sikora?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikora, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Sikora in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (4,972 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sikora appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Sikora (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 Sikora mean?
An occupational surname referring to a woodcutter or lumberjack in Polish, Czech, and Slovak. 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 Sikora (1.80 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 Sikora?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Sikora at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.