2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Toka
A Japanese surname derived from a word meaning "east" or "eastern".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Toka. 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 Toka 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 Toka 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 Toka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.1%. The next largest groups are White (37.7%) and Black (18.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toka
The surname Toka is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Polish word "tok," which means "course" or "flow," potentially referring to a person living near a flowing river or stream. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in regions of present-day western and central Poland.
In the 14th century, the name Toka appeared in various Polish chronicles and historical records, including the "Codex Diplomaticus Poloniae" – a collection of medieval diplomatic documents. One notable mention was in a land grant from 1362, where a certain "Mikołaj Toka" was granted a parcel of land in the village of Wólka near Cracow.
The name Toka was also found in the "Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie" (Town and Territorial Records), which were legal and administrative documents from the 15th to 18th centuries. In these records, variations of the name such as "Toko," "Tokarz," and "Tokar" were sometimes used interchangeably.
Among the notable figures bearing the surname Toka was Jan Toka (1525-1589), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Livonian War against Russia in the 16th century. Another was Piotr Toka (1608-1675), a renowned Polish painter and engraver, known for his religious artworks and portraits.
In the 19th century, the name Toka was associated with several Polish intellectuals and writers. One such figure was Franciszek Toka (1810-1876), a novelist and poet who wrote extensively about life in rural Poland. Another was Józef Toka (1836-1901), a historian and author who published several books on the history of Poland and its regions.
The Toka name can also be traced to various place names in Poland, such as the village of Toki in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, and the town of Tokary in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
While the surname Toka is not among the most common in Poland, it has a rich history and has been borne by notable individuals throughout the centuries, contributing to the cultural and historical fabric of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toka
Among Census respondents with the surname Toka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.1%. The next largest groups are White (37.7%) and Black (18.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Toka 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 Toka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander42.1% · 48
- White37.7% · 43
- Black or African American18.4% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toka
Toka 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+14 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 14,480 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 Toka 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 | #160,975 | #146,495 | 9.0% |
| Count | 100 | 114 | 14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toka bearers went from 100 to 114 (+14.0% change). The surname moved up 14,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #146,495.
FAQ
Toka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toka?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Toka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Toka?
Toka 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 Toka. 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 Toka.
Has Toka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toka went from 100 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 14 (+14.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Toka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 42.1%. The next largest groups are White (37.7%) and Black (18.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Toka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.1% (48 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (42.1%), White (37.7%), Black (18.4%). 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 Toka (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 Toka mean?
A Japanese surname derived from a word meaning "east" or "eastern". 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 Toka (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 common is the surname Toka?
Find out how many people are called Toka on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.