2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Skjei
A Norwegian surname likely derived from a valley or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Skjei. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skjei 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Skjei in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skjei, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skjei
The surname SKJEI is of Norwegian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the Gudbrandsdalen region of Norway, specifically in the vicinity of the town of Skjeggestad.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Gudbrandsdalen valley, where a farmer named Torgeir Skjei is mentioned. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "skjegg," meaning "beard," and may have initially referred to someone with a distinctive facial hair.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the SKJEI surname was Halvard Skjei, a respected landowner and local chieftain in the Gudbrandsdalen area. His descendants continued to hold significant influence in the region for several generations.
During the 17th century, the name appeared in various records and documents related to land ownership and taxation in the Oppland region of Norway, where many families with the SKJEI surname resided.
Another notable bearer of the SKJEI name was Knut Skjei, born in 1732, who served as a respected clergyman in the town of Fåberg, near Lillehammer. His legacy as a prominent religious figure contributed to the recognition of the SKJEI surname within the local community.
In the 19th century, the SKJEI name gained wider recognition with the birth of Hans Skjei (1837-1912), a prominent Norwegian politician and member of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament). He played a significant role in shaping the country's policies during his tenure.
Other notable individuals with the SKJEI surname include the renowned Norwegian writer and poet, Olav Skjei (1870-1943), whose works explored themes of rural life and the struggles of the common people in Norway.
Additionally, the SKJEI name has been linked to various place names in Norway, such as Skjeiberg and Skjeggerud, which further underscores its deep-rooted connection to the country's history and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skjei
Among Census respondents with the surname Skjei, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Skjei 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 Skjei surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 109
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skjei
Skjei 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,150 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+9 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 15,150 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 8,412 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 Skjei 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 | #154,907 | #146,495 | 5.4% |
| Count | 105 | 114 | 8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skjei bearers went from 105 to 114 (+8.6% change). The surname moved up 8,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #146,495.
FAQ
Skjei surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skjei?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Skjei. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Skjei?
Skjei ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Skjei. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Skjei.
Has Skjei become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skjei went from 105 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 9 (+8.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Skjei?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skjei, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Skjei in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skjei appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Black (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Skjei (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 Skjei mean?
A Norwegian surname likely derived from a valley or place name. 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 Skjei (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 Skjei?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.