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

Janak, 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 Janak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Janak in America

Janak is the 22201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Janak surname appeared 1,162 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Janak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Janak 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 Janak

The surname Janak has its origins in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where it is derived from the Czech word "Janek" or "Jenik," diminutive forms of the name Jan (John). The name likely originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Janak can be found in the Liber Viridis, a 14th-century manuscript from the Czech lands. The name is also mentioned in various historical records from the region, such as land registers, tax rolls, and church records.

In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was Jan Janak, a Czech priest and writer who lived from around 1420 to 1490. He was a prominent figure in the Hussite movement and authored several religious works.

During the 16th century, the surname Janak was associated with several notable individuals, including Václav Janak (c. 1510-1570), a Czech painter and woodcarver known for his work in churches and monasteries throughout Bohemia and Moravia.

The 17th century saw the birth of Jan Janak (1632-1696), a Czech mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the understanding of comets and planetary motion.

In the 18th century, the Janak surname was borne by Jiří Janak (1740-1804), a Czech composer and violinist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Prince Esterházy in Austria.

Moving into the 19th century, the name Janak was associated with the Czech writer and journalist Václav Janak (1810-1879), who was a prominent figure in the Czech National Revival movement and a proponent of Czech language and culture.

These examples illustrate the long history and significance of the surname Janak, which has its roots in the Czech lands and has been borne by notable individuals in various fields, including religion, art, science, and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Janak

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

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

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

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