2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Slivkoff
An occupational name referring to a maker or seller of slivovitz, a plum brandy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Slivkoff. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slivkoff 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Slivkoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slivkoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slivkoff
The surname Slivkoff has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in Russia and Ukraine. It is derived from the Slavic word "sliva," which means "plum." This suggests that the ancestors of those bearing this surname may have been involved in the cultivation or trade of plums.
Slivkoff is a variation of the more common Russian surname Slivkin or Slivkin, which can be traced back to the 16th century. Records from that time show the name appearing in various towns and villages across the Russian Empire.
One of the earliest documented references to the Slivkoff name dates back to the late 17th century, when a merchant named Ivan Slivkoff was mentioned in a trade register in the city of Novgorod. This suggests that the family had established itself in the region and was involved in commercial activities.
In the 18th century, the Slivkoff name appears in church records from the town of Berdychiv, which was then part of the Russian Empire but is now located in modern-day Ukraine. This indicates that the name had spread to other areas of Eastern Europe.
One notable figure from history who bore the Slivkoff surname was Mikhail Slivkoff, a Russian military officer who fought in the Crimean War (1853-1856). He was born in 1819 and later achieved the rank of colonel in the Imperial Russian Army.
Another individual of note was Andrei Slivkoff (1842-1918), a Russian painter who was known for his landscapes and portraits. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg and exhibited his works in several prestigious exhibitions during his lifetime.
In the late 19th century, a family of Slivkoffs emigrated from Russia to the United States, settling in the state of Pennsylvania. One member of this family, Nikolai Slivkoff (1874-1952), became a prominent businessman and philanthropist in the city of Philadelphia.
A different branch of the Slivkoff family can be traced to the town of Zhytomyr, located in modern-day Ukraine. Here, a man named Grigory Slivkoff (1882-1968) was a respected teacher and community leader in the early 20th century.
Finally, the Slivkoff name also appeared in Belarus, where a woman named Yelena Slivkoff (1901-1985) was a renowned folk artist known for her intricate embroidery and textile work.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slivkoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Slivkoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Slivkoff 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 Slivkoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slivkoff
Slivkoff 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,939 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 8,939 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 8,261 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 Slivkoff 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 | #133,048 | #141,309 | -6.2% |
| Count | 127 | 121 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slivkoff bearers went from 127 to 121 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 8,261 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #141,309.
FAQ
Slivkoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slivkoff?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Slivkoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Slivkoff?
Slivkoff ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Slivkoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Slivkoff.
Has Slivkoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slivkoff went from 127 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Slivkoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slivkoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Slivkoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slivkoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Hispanic (8.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Slivkoff (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 Slivkoff mean?
An occupational name referring to a maker or seller of slivovitz, a plum brandy. 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 Slivkoff (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 Slivkoff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.