2000
#110,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sikkila
A Finnish surname derived from a place name referring to a person's origin or residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 192 Americans carry the last name Sikkila. That puts it at #111,996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,785,179 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sikkila 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
192
1 in 1,785,179
Census rank
#111,996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
167
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 167 bearers of the surname Sikkila in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 111996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikkila, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sikkila
The surname SIKKILA originates from Finland, with its roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Finnish word "sikkila," which refers to a small village or settlement. This name was likely given to families who lived in such a locality or came from a specific region known for its small hamlets.
The earliest recorded instances of the SIKKILA surname can be traced back to parish records and census documents from the 1600s in various parts of Finland. One notable example is the mention of Matti Sikkila, born in 1632, in the parish records of Turku, a city on the southwest coast of Finland.
In the 18th century, the SIKKILA name appeared in the historical records of the Swedish Empire, as parts of Finland were under Swedish rule during that time period. Notably, Pekka Sikkila, born in 1718, was a farmer and landowner in the region of Ostrobothnia, which is now part of western Finland.
As the centuries progressed, the SIKKILA surname spread across Finland, with some variations in spelling, such as Sikkela or Sikkala, emerging in different regions. One of the earliest known published works mentioning the name was "Suomen Suku" (Finnish Genealogy), a comprehensive genealogical study published in 1890, which included several SIKKILA family lineages.
Among the notable individuals bearing this surname throughout history are:
1. Juho Sikkila (1828-1901), a Finnish farmer and politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Finland in the late 19th century.
2. Maija Sikkila (1856-1932), a prominent Finnish educator and advocate for women's rights, who established several schools for girls in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
3. Eino Sikkila (1886-1957), a Finnish military officer and diplomat who served as the Finnish Ambassador to Germany during World War II.
4. Lauri Sikkila (1912-1988), a renowned Finnish architect known for designing several iconic buildings in Helsinki, including the Finlandia Hall concert venue.
5. Marja Sikkila (born 1947), a Finnish writer and literary critic, whose works have explored themes of identity, gender, and societal issues in contemporary Finland.
While the SIKKILA surname has its roots in Finland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and global mobility. However, its origins can be traced back to the small villages and settlements of Finland, where it first emerged as a distinctive family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sikkila
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikkila, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sikkila 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 Sikkila surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 156
- Two or more races4.2% · 7
- Black or African American1.2% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sikkila
Sikkila 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
#103,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 173
+25 bearers (+16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 6,868 places
2020
#111,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
-6 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 8,341 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #110,523 | 148 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #103,655 | 173 | 0.06 | +25 bearers (+16.9%) | Up 6,868 places |
| 2020 | #111,996 | 167 | 0.06 | -6 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 8,341 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 Sikkila 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 | #103,655 | #111,996 | -8.0% |
| Count | 173 | 167 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sikkila bearers went from 173 to 167 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 8,341 positions in the national ranking, going from #103,655 to #111,996.
FAQ
Sikkila surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sikkila?
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the surname Sikkila. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,785,179 residents.
How common is Sikkila?
Sikkila ranks #111,996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 167 people with the surname Sikkila. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (192), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Sikkila.
Has Sikkila become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sikkila went from 173 recorded bearers to 167. That is a decrease of 6 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #103,655 to #111,996.
What does the Census say about the background of Sikkila?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sikkila, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Sikkila in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (156 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sikkila appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (1.2%). 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 Sikkila (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 Sikkila mean?
A Finnish surname derived from a place name referring to a person's origin or residence. 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 Sikkila (0.06 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 Sikkila?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.