2000
#7,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,954
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Wilkens
Derived from the personal name Wilkin, a diminutive of William, meaning "resolute protection."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,022 Americans carry the last name Wilkens. That puts it at #8,956 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,220 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilkens 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 Wilkens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,220
Census rank
#8,956
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,507 bearers of the surname Wilkens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8956th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkens, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilkens
The surname WILKENS has its origins in the Germanic languages, specifically in the Old English and Old German words "wilcuma" and "willkommen," which translate to "welcome" or "well-received." It was a name given to those who were hospitable or provided lodging to travelers.
The name WILKENS first emerged in the areas of modern-day Germany, the Netherlands, and England during the Middle Ages. In England, the earliest recorded instance of the surname is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wilcuma" and "Wilcumbe."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Wilhelm Wilkens, a German merchant who lived in the 13th century and was involved in the Hanseatic League, a powerful trading organization in Northern Europe. Another notable figure was John Wilkens, an English priest and writer who lived in the 15th century and authored several theological works.
In the 16th century, the name appears in records from the Netherlands, where it was spelled as "Wilkens" and "Wilkensz." One of the most famous Dutch bearers of the name was Rembert Wilkens (1516-1585), a renowned painter and engraver who was a member of the Antwerp School of artists.
The surname WILKENS also has a strong presence in the United States, where it was brought by German and Dutch immigrants in the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable American with this surname was Robert Wilkens (1796-1873), a politician and lawyer who served as the 13th Governor of Missouri from 1836 to 1838.
Another prominent figure was Gustav Wilkens (1833-1908), a German-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Gansevoort Market and the Ansonia Hotel. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Romanesque Revival style in American architecture.
In the 20th century, the name WILKENS was carried by individuals such as Walter Wilkens (1876-1958), a German-American civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Holland Tunnel between New Jersey and New York City, and Erwin Wilkens (1900-1964), a German actor and film director who worked in the era of silent and early sound films.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilkens
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkens, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilkens 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 Wilkens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 2,957
- Black or African American8.2% · 286
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 135
- Two or more races2.5% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilkens
Wilkens 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
#8,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,086
+132 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 367 places
2020
#8,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,507
-579 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,747 | 3,954 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,114 | 4,086 | 1.39 | +132 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 367 places |
| 2020 | #8,956 | 3,507 | 1.17 | -579 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 842 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 Wilkens 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 | #8,114 | #8,956 | -10.4% |
| Count | 4,086 | 3,507 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.17 | -15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilkens bearers went from 4,086 to 3,507 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 842 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,114 to #8,956.
FAQ
Wilkens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilkens?
Name Census estimates that about 4,022 living Americans carry the surname Wilkens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,220 residents.
How common is Wilkens?
Wilkens ranks #8,956 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,507 people with the surname Wilkens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,022), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Wilkens.
Has Wilkens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilkens went from 4,086 recorded bearers to 3,507. That is a decrease of 579 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,114 to #8,956.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilkens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilkens, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Wilkens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (2,957 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilkens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Black (8.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Wilkens (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 Wilkens mean?
Derived from the personal name Wilkin, a diminutive of William, meaning "resolute protection." 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 Wilkens (1.17 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 Wilkens?
You can see how common the surname Wilkens is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.