2000
#6,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,182
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.92
Rare Last name
Skeen
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Skeggi, meaning "bearded" or "a man with a beard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,607 Americans carry the last name Skeen. That puts it at #6,636 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,130 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skeen 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 Skeen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,130
Census rank
#6,636
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,890 bearers of the surname Skeen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6636th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skeen
The surname Skeen has its origins in Scotland, emerging in the 14th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "sgian," which means "knife" or "dagger," suggesting a connection to a profession or ancestral trade involving blades or weapons.
The name was concentrated in the Highlands of Scotland, particularly in areas like Perthshire and Inverness-shire. It appeared in several variations, such as Skeyn, Skene, and Skeyne, reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions in earlier times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1363, which mention a John Skene receiving payment for services rendered to the Crown. Another notable early reference is in the Breviarium Aberdonense, a 15th-century Scottish ecclesiastical manuscript, where a Willelmus Skene is listed among the cathedral clergy.
The Skeen surname gained prominence through several notable individuals throughout history. Sir John Skene (1543-1617) was a renowned Scottish jurist and Lord Clerk Register, responsible for compiling and publishing the ancient laws of Scotland. Robert Skene (1619-1633) was a Scottish minister and author of a work titled "A Breif Descriptioun of the Isles of Scotland."
In the 17th century, James Skene (1633-1681), a Scottish merchant and landowner, acquired the estate of Newtyle in Angus, establishing a lineage of the Skene family in that region. Andrew Skene (1784-1838), a descendant of this line, became a prominent lawyer and served as Lord Provost of Aberdeen.
Another notable figure was Ralph Skene (1807-1867), a Scottish civil engineer who made significant contributions to the construction of railways and bridges in India during the British Raj era.
While the Skeen surname originated in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diasporas, with bearers of the name found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skeen
Among Census respondents with the surname Skeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Skeen 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 Skeen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 4,147
- Two or more races5.0% · 246
- Black or African American4.8% · 235
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 181
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skeen
Skeen 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
#6,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,338
+156 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 275 places
2020
#6,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,890
-448 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 258 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,103 | 5,182 | 1.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,378 | 5,338 | 1.81 | +156 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 275 places |
| 2020 | #6,636 | 4,890 | 1.64 | -448 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 258 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 Skeen 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 | #6,378 | #6,636 | -4.0% |
| Count | 5,338 | 4,890 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.64 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skeen bearers went from 5,338 to 4,890 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 258 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,378 to #6,636.
FAQ
Skeen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skeen?
Name Census estimates that about 5,607 living Americans carry the surname Skeen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,130 residents.
How common is Skeen?
Skeen ranks #6,636 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 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 4,890 people with the surname Skeen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 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 Skeen.
Has Skeen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skeen went from 5,338 recorded bearers to 4,890. That is a decrease of 448 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,378 to #6,636.
What does the Census say about the background of Skeen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.8%). 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 Skeen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (4,147 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skeen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (4.8%). 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 Skeen (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 Skeen mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Skeggi, meaning "bearded" or "a man with a beard." 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 Skeen (1.64 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 surname Skeen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.