2000
#12,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,222
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Wike
Derived from a place name meaning "dairy farm" in Old English, or from a Norse personal name meaning "viking."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,434 Americans carry the last name Wike. That puts it at #13,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,819 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wike 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wike with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,819
Census rank
#13,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,123 bearers of the surname Wike in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wike, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wike
The surname Wike has its origins in England, emerging during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "wic," which referred to a dwelling or a small settlement. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived in a particular hamlet or village.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Wike can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a certain William Wyke is listed. This historical document provides evidence of the name's existence and its variant spellings during that era.
In the 15th century, the name Wike appeared in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire. These records document a John Wyk, who was a tenant in the village of Horbury in 1447. This entry highlights the name's connection to specific locations and its potential origins as a place name.
The Wike surname has also been associated with the village of Wyke Regis in Dorset, which was formerly known as Wyke. This place name is thought to have influenced the surname's spelling and pronunciation over time.
Notable individuals with the Wike surname include:
1. Thomas Wike (c. 1460 - c. 1520), an English ecclesiastic and philosopher who served as the Chancellor of Cambridge University in the early 16th century.
2. Robert Wike (c. 1570 - 1642), a prominent English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
3. Elizabeth Wike (c. 1610 - 1680), an English Puritan author and poet, known for her religious works and writings on the spiritual life.
4. John Wike (1725 - 1798), a British soldier and military engineer who served in the American Revolutionary War and was involved in the construction of fortifications.
5. William Wike (1842 - 1912), a British architect renowned for his work on various churches and public buildings in the Victorian era, particularly in the Gothic Revival style.
While the Wike surname may have evolved from different sources and been influenced by various place names, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it likely originated as a descriptor for individuals living in small settlements or hamlets.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wike
Among Census respondents with the surname Wike, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wike 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 Wike surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 1,875
- Black or African American5.1% · 109
- Two or more races2.9% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wike
Wike 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
#13,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,153
-69 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 1,248 places
2020
#13,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,123
-30 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 329 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,749 | 2,222 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,997 | 2,153 | 0.73 | -69 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 1,248 places |
| 2020 | #13,668 | 2,123 | 0.71 | -30 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 329 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 Wike 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 | #13,997 | #13,668 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,153 | 2,123 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.71 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wike bearers went from 2,153 to 2,123 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 329 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,997 to #13,668.
FAQ
Wike surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wike?
Name Census estimates that about 2,434 living Americans carry the surname Wike. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,819 residents.
How common is Wike?
Wike ranks #13,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,123 people with the surname Wike. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,434), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wike.
Has Wike become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wike went from 2,153 recorded bearers to 2,123. That is a decrease of 30 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,997 to #13,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Wike?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wike, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wike in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (1,875 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wike appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Wike (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 Wike mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dairy farm" in Old English, or from a Norse personal name meaning "viking." 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 Wike (0.71 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 Americans have the surname Wike?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.