Find out how popular the last name Wikman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wikman.

Wikman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Wikman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wikman in America

Wikman is the 76533rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wikman surname appeared 251 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wikman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wikman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Wikman

The surname Wikman originates from Scandinavia, with its roots primarily found in Sweden and Finland. The name is believed to have emerged around the Middle Ages, roughly between the 12th and 15th centuries. The areas where the surname was initially found include coastal regions and inland areas of both countries where water-based occupations were common.

The etymology of Wikman can be traced back to the Old Norse words "vík," meaning bay or inlet, and "mann," which translates to man. Therefore, the surname likely denotes someone who lived by a bay or inlet or was perhaps involved in seafaring or fishing. These occupations were prevalent in the coastal regions of Sweden and Finland during the medieval period.

Historical records from Sweden in the 15th century make mention of a man named Johan Wikman, who was a noted fisherman and trader based near Stockholm. Manuscripts from the same period in Finland also document individuals with the surname Wikman, particularly in regions like Turku and Åland, known for their maritime activities.

The earliest recorded example of the surname in written form dates back to a 1436 legal document in Sweden, where a man named Erik Wikman is mentioned in connection with a land dispute involving coastal properties. This suggests that the family might have held some importance or land, reinforcing the occupational link to bays or inlets.

In older spellings, the name sometimes appears as "Wyckman" or "Wichman," primarily in Germanic territories in the 16th century, where similar phonetic variations were common. These variations often arose due to the migration of Scandinavian people to the European mainland, especially during times of war or economic hardship.

One historically significant figure with this surname is Lars Wikman, a noted Swedish explorer and cartographer from the late 16th century (born 1552, died 1618). His contributions to the mapping of the Swedish coastline were pivotal. Another notable Wikman is Anni Wikman, a Finnish poet and activist from the early 20th century (born 1880, died 1945), who played a significant role in the Finnish independence movement.

In the realm of academia, Professor Anders Wikman, born in 1723 and passing away in 1796, was a renowned historian and linguist at Uppsala University. His work in documenting and preserving Scandinavian folklore and ancient manuscripts has had a lasting impact on the study of Nordic history.

The surname Wikman persists through the centuries as a significant and identifiable name within Scandinavia, embodying a rich legacy of maritime connections and historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wikman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wikman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wikman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wikman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Wikman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wikman, please contact us.

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