2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gianakis
A Greek surname derived from the personal name "Giannis", meaning "John".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Gianakis. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gianakis 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Gianakis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gianakis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gianakis
The surname Gianakis has its origins in Greece, dating back to the early 19th century. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "Giannis," which is the Greek form of the name John. This name was likely combined with the diminutive suffix "-akis," creating the surname Gianakis.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gianakis can be found in the village of Myrtos, located on the island of Crete. Historical records show that a family bearing this surname lived in the village during the mid-1800s. It is possible that the name originated in this region, as Crete has a rich history and was a significant part of the Venetian Republic and later the Ottoman Empire.
In the late 19th century, the Gianakis surname appeared in various official records and documents across Greece. One notable individual was Alexandros Gianakis, a Greek soldier who fought in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. He was born in 1872 and died in battle in 1897, defending his homeland against the Ottoman forces.
As the 20th century dawned, the Gianakis surname continued to spread across Greece and beyond. In the early 1900s, a merchant named Georgios Gianakis established a successful trading business in the city of Thessaloniki. He was born in 1880 and passed away in 1957, leaving behind a legacy of entrepreneurship and economic prosperity.
Another noteworthy figure was Nikolaos Gianakis, a Greek artist and sculptor who lived from 1892 to 1972. His works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe, and he is celebrated for his unique style that blended traditional Greek motifs with modern techniques.
During the mid-20th century, the Gianakis surname also found its way to the United States. One prominent individual was Dimitrios Gianakis, a Greek immigrant who settled in Chicago in the 1940s. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist, born in 1910 and passing away in 1998. His contributions to the Greek-American community in Chicago were widely recognized and appreciated.
While these are just a few examples, the surname Gianakis has a rich history spanning centuries, with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions contributing to its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gianakis
Among Census respondents with the surname Gianakis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gianakis 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 Gianakis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gianakis
Gianakis 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,972 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 3,972 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 Gianakis 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 | #154,907 | #150,935 | 2.6% |
| Count | 105 | 108 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gianakis bearers went from 105 to 108 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 3,972 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,935.
FAQ
Gianakis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gianakis?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Gianakis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Gianakis?
Gianakis ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Gianakis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gianakis.
Has Gianakis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gianakis went from 105 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Gianakis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gianakis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Gianakis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gianakis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Gianakis (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 Gianakis mean?
A Greek surname derived from the personal name "Giannis", meaning "John". 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 Gianakis (0.04 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 Gianakis?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Gianakis is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.