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

Skene, 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 Skene surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Skene in America

Skene is the 48436th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Skene surname appeared 436 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 Skene.

We can also compare 2010 data for Skene 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 Skene

The surname Skene is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "sgian," which means a small knife or dagger. The name first appeared in records during the 12th century in the regions of Aberdeenshire and Banffshire in northeastern Scotland.

The earliest known bearer of the name was Walter Skene, who was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1264. The Skene family was prominent in the area around the village of Skene, located a few miles west of Aberdeen, which likely gave rise to their surname.

In the 14th century, the Skenes were granted lands in the parish of Skene by King Robert III of Scotland. The Skene family crest features a hand holding a dagger, symbolizing their name's connection to the Gaelic word "sgian."

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any references to the name Skene, as it was primarily a Scottish surname at that time.

One notable bearer of the name was John Skene (1543-1617), a Scottish lawyer and writer who served as Lord Clerk Register of Scotland. He authored several legal treatises and was known for his expertise in Scottish law.

Another prominent figure was Sir Andrew Skene (1784-1838), a Scottish soldier and diplomat who served as the British consul-general in Mexico during the Mexican War of Independence.

In the literary world, Felicia Skene (1821-1899) was a Scottish writer and novelist who published works such as "The Inheritance of Evil" and "Hidden Depths."

William Forbes Skene (1809-1892) was a Scottish historian and Celtic scholar who wrote extensively on the history and literature of Scotland, including "The Highlanders of Scotland" and "Celtic Scotland: A History of Ancient Alban."

William Baillie Skene (1847-1924) was a Scottish architect who designed many notable buildings in Aberdeen, including the Art Gallery and Industrial Museum.

The surname Skene has been present in Scotland for centuries and has produced notable figures in various fields, from law and diplomacy to literature and architecture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Skene

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

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

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

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