2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Skero
A surname possibly derived from a nickname related to being thin or slim.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Skero. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skero 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Skero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skero, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skero
The surname Skero is of Scandinavian origin, believed to have originated in the regions of modern-day Norway and Sweden during the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old Norse word "skearu" or "sker," which referred to a rocky outcrop or small islet commonly found along the rugged coastlines of the Nordic countries.
One of the earliest known records of this surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, an extensive collection of medieval Norwegian documents. A man named Thorstein Skeruson is mentioned in a legal transaction involving land ownership on the island of Giske, located off the western coast of Norway.
In the 14th century, the name Skero appears in the Icelandic Sagas, a series of literary works that chronicled the lives and adventures of prominent Norse families. One such figure was Ingrid Skero, a woman of noble birth from the Vestfold region of Norway, who was renowned for her skill in traditional textile arts.
As the centuries progressed, various spellings of the name emerged, including Skerou, Skerow, and Skerowe, reflecting regional dialects and the evolving nature of language. One notable bearer of the name was Erik Skerowe, a Danish merchant who established a successful trading company in the 16th century, facilitating the exchange of goods between the Nordic countries and the Hanseatic League.
In the 17th century, the name Skero is found in the parish records of the Swedish island of Öland, where a family of farmers and fishermen bore the surname. One member of this lineage, Nils Skero, born in 1632, was a respected community leader who played a role in the construction of a local church.
During the 18th century, the name spread to other parts of Europe as individuals sought new opportunities and migrated to different regions. In 1734, a German-born soldier named Johann Skero enlisted in the Prussian army and served with distinction in the War of the Austrian Succession.
As the centuries passed, the Skero surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse walks of life, including artists, scholars, and entrepreneurs. In the late 19th century, a Norwegian painter named Inga Skero gained recognition for her vibrant landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of her homeland's fjords and mountains.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skero
Among Census respondents with the surname Skero, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Skero 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 Skero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 12
- Two or more races8.6% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skero
Skero appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,879 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 Skero 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 | #143,149 | #145,028 | -1.3% |
| Count | 116 | 116 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skero bearers went from 116 to 116 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,028.
FAQ
Skero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skero?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Skero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Skero?
Skero ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Skero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Skero.
Has Skero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skero went from 116 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Skero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skero, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (8.6%). 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 Skero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Hispanic (10.3%), Two or More Races (8.6%). 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 Skero (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 Skero mean?
A surname possibly derived from a nickname related to being thin or slim. 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 Skero (0.04 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 share the surname Skero?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.