2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Zikas
Of Lithuanian origin, a topographic surname denoting someone who lived near an oak forest or oak trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Zikas. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zikas 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Zikas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zikas, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zikas
The surname Zikas finds its origins in Greece, likely emerging during the late Byzantine period, spanning approximately from the 13th to the 15th centuries. Many surnames in Greece derived from given names augmented with a suffix that denoted lineage or familial ties, and Zikas is no exception. The root "Zik-" might have been derived from a diminutive or affectionate form of a given name ending in "-ikas," a common suffix denoting "son of" or belonging to a family. This formation was typical for the mainland Greeks, particularly in the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia.
Early records indicating the use of the surname Zikas are unfortunately sparse, as many Byzantine era documents either did not survive or were not meticulously archived. However, one notable early mention appears in a 15th-century manuscript held at the Monastery of Great Meteoron in Thessaly, where a "Nicholos Zikas" is documented as a donor to the church, emphasizing the family's role in ecclesiastical matters.
Zikas saw variants in spelling reflecting regional dialects and local linguistic influences. For instance, in Epiros, you might encounter Zikkas, and in the islands, there existed Zikis, evidence of the fluidity with which surnames were treated in Greek orthography. These variants can be traced through various ecclesiastical and community-centered documents preserved in local monasteries and town records.
In the 17th century, a notable figure carrying this surname was Dimitrios Zikas, born in 1623 and deceased in 1697, who took an active part in the local administration of Thessaloniki during the Ottoman rule. Severely constrained by their rulers, notable Greek families often found ways to maintain their cultural heritage, as seen through Dimitrios’ involvement in education and local governance.
By the 19th century, during the Greek War of Independence, another prominent figure named Alexandros Zikas emerged. Born in 1798 and dying heroically in 1822, Alexandros was a part of Filiki Eteria—a secret organization working towards the independence of Greece. His role as a revolutionary leader in Thessaly cemented his place in the annals of Greek history.
Moving into the early 20th century, Spyridon Zikas is noted, born in 1871, an academic and archeologist who contributed significantly to the study of ancient Greek ruins in modern-day Albania. His work in the region underscored the enduring significance of Greek heritage outside modern Greek borders.
Lastly, in the mid-20th century, Theodoros Zikas, born in 1915, made his mark as a cultural historian specializing in the preservation of Byzantine manuscripts. His extensive research and publications have had a long-lasting impact on the academic community focused on Hellenistic studies.
These individuals, spaced out over several centuries, demonstrate the enduring legacy of the surname Zikas through Greek history, each contributing indelibly to the cultural, scholarly, and revolutionary fabric of their times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zikas
Among Census respondents with the surname Zikas, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Zikas 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 Zikas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 99
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zikas
Zikas 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,793 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 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,793 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 Zikas 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 | #154,182 | 4.2% |
| Count | 100 | 103 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zikas bearers went from 100 to 103 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,182.
FAQ
Zikas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zikas?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Zikas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Zikas?
Zikas ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Zikas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Zikas.
Has Zikas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zikas went from 100 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Zikas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zikas, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Zikas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zikas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Black (1.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Zikas (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 Zikas mean?
Of Lithuanian origin, a topographic surname denoting someone who lived near an oak forest or oak trees. 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 Zikas (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 Americans have the surname Zikas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.