2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Suskey
A surname potentially derived from a nickname or diminutive form of Susan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Suskey. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suskey 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Suskey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suskey
The surname Suskey has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Saxony. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "sussen," which meant "to hiss" or "to whisper." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who spoke softly or in a whispering manner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Suskey can be found in a document from the town of Merseburg in 1298, where a certain Hans Suskey was listed as a landowner. In the following centuries, the name appeared in various forms such as Susskey, Susskeye, and Suskeyen, reflecting the linguistic variations of the time.
During the 15th century, the Suskey name gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where a family of wealthy merchants and bankers bore this surname. Notably, Johann Suskey (1425-1492) was a prominent financier and benefactor who contributed to the construction of several churches and public buildings in the city.
In the 16th century, the Suskey name spread to other parts of Germany, and it is recorded in the records of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). One notable figure from this period was Hans Suskey (1587-1643), a military commander who fought for the Protestant cause and was involved in several major battles.
As the German population began to migrate to other parts of Europe and the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Suskey name traveled with them. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in Pennsylvania, where Johann Suskey (1715-1792) settled as a farmer and landowner.
Other notable individuals with the Suskey surname include:
1. Wilhelm Suskey (1832-1901), a German philosopher and academic who taught at the University of Berlin.
2. Anna Suskey (1856-1924), a Russian-born opera singer who performed in major opera houses across Europe.
3. Franz Suskey (1871-1938), an Austrian painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
4. Heinrich Suskey (1892-1967), a German engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early aircraft designs.
5. Ingrid Suskey (1927-2015), a Swedish author and journalist who wrote extensively on social and political issues.
The surname Suskey, with its rich history and varied representations across different regions and time periods, serves as a testament to the diverse cultural influences that have shaped the German language and its associated surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suskey
Among Census respondents with the surname Suskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Suskey 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 Suskey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.9% · 6
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suskey
Suskey 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,957 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 4,957 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 Suskey 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 | #159,712 | #154,755 | 3.1% |
| Count | 101 | 102 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suskey bearers went from 101 to 102 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,957 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,755.
FAQ
Suskey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suskey?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Suskey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Suskey?
Suskey ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Suskey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Suskey.
Has Suskey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suskey went from 101 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Suskey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Suskey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suskey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.9%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Suskey (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 Suskey mean?
A surname potentially derived from a nickname or diminutive form of Susan. 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 Suskey (0.03 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 Suskey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.