2000
#50,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 388
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Salk
An occupational surname indicating a person employed in salt-related work.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 385 Americans carry the last name Salk. That puts it at #64,041 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 890,271 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salk 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
385
1 in 890,271
Census rank
#64,041
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
336
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 336 bearers of the surname Salk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 64041st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salk, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salk
The surname SALK is of uncertain origin, with several possible explanations for its derivation. One theory suggests that it is a locational name from the village of Salk, located in the Netherlands. This village was first mentioned in historical records in the 13th century, and its name is believed to derive from the Old Dutch word "salec," meaning "willow" or "sallow."
Another potential origin for the SALK surname is that it may be a variant spelling of the German name Salch, which is derived from the Old German word "salaha," meaning "willow thicket." This name was particularly common in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony during the medieval period.
Early records of the SALK surname can be found in various historical documents, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Radulphus de Salca in Lincolnshire, England. Other early references include the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1196, which list a person named Rogerus de Salk.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the SALK surname was Johann SALK, a German Protestant theologian and reformer who lived in the 16th century (1499-1560). Another notable figure was Friedrich SALK (1733-1805), a German philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of calculus.
In the 19th century, the SALK surname gained prominence with the birth of Jonas SALK (1914-1995), the American medical researcher and virologist who developed the first successful polio vaccine. His groundbreaking work in immunology and virology has had a lasting impact on global public health.
Other notable individuals with the SALK surname include Robert SALK (1926-2019), an American physicist and author, and Peter SALK (born 1942), a renowned psychiatrist and author who is the son of Jonas SALK.
Throughout history, variations of the SALK surname have emerged, such as Salke, Salkey, and Salkey-Britten. These variations may reflect regional differences or changes in spelling over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salk
Among Census respondents with the surname Salk, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Salk 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 Salk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 308
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 9
- Two or more races2.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salk
Salk 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
#55,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 368
-20 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 5,169 places
2020
#64,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 336
-32 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 8,300 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,572 | 388 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #55,741 | 368 | 0.12 | -20 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 5,169 places |
| 2020 | #64,041 | 336 | 0.11 | -32 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 8,300 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 Salk 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 | #55,741 | #64,041 | -14.9% |
| Count | 368 | 336 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.11 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salk bearers went from 368 to 336 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 8,300 positions in the national ranking, going from #55,741 to #64,041.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Salk
FAQ
Salk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salk?
Name Census estimates that about 385 living Americans carry the surname Salk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 890,271 residents.
How common is Salk?
Salk ranks #64,041 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 336 people with the surname Salk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (385), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Salk.
Has Salk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salk went from 368 recorded bearers to 336. That is a decrease of 32 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #55,741 to #64,041.
What does the Census say about the background of Salk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salk, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Salk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (308 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Salk (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 Salk mean?
An occupational surname indicating a person employed in salt-related work. 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 Salk (0.11 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 people have the last name Salk?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Salk at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.