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

Danko, 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 Danko surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Danko in America

Danko is the 7815th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Danko surname appeared 4,237 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Danko.

We can also compare 2010 data for Danko 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 Danko

The surname Danko has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in modern-day Poland and Ukraine. It is believed to have emerged around the 13th or 14th century, derived from the Slavic root "dan," meaning "gift" or "given." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or a descriptive term for someone who was considered a "gift" or a "blessing."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Danko can be found in historical records from the Polish city of Krakow, dating back to the late 15th century. These records mention a man named Jan Danko, who was a respected member of the local community. The name also appears in various village and parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of Galicia and Volhynia, which were parts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time.

In the late 18th century, a notable figure named Andrzej Danko (1735-1819) emerged as a prominent Polish-Lithuanian military officer and nobleman. He served in the Polish army during the Partitions of Poland and later became a member of the Sejm (parliament) of the Duchy of Warsaw.

Another individual of historical significance bearing the surname Danko was Yevhen Danko (1884-1919), a Ukrainian writer and playwright who was active during the early 20th century. His works, such as the play "Soniachna Mashyna" (The Sun Machine), explored themes of social justice and national identity.

In the realm of sports, the name Danko has been associated with several accomplished athletes. One example is Oleksandr Danko (born 1986), a Ukrainian professional football (soccer) player who has represented his country at the international level and played for various clubs in Europe.

It is worth noting that variations of the surname, such as Dankov, Dankevich, and Dankovych, have also been found in historical records, particularly in the regions of Belarus and western Russia. These variations likely stemmed from different linguistic influences and regional dialects within the Slavic language family.

While the surname Danko has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, it remains most prevalent in countries like Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, where it continues to carry a rich cultural and historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Danko

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

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 Danko 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 Danko 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 Danko was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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