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

Janiak, 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 Janiak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Janiak in America

Janiak is the 30043rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Janiak surname appeared 781 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 Janiak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Janiak 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 Janiak

The surname Janiak has its origins in Poland, emerging in the late Middle Ages around the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish given name "Jan," which is the equivalent of the English name "John." The suffix "-iak" was commonly added to Polish surnames to indicate lineage or origin.

The name Janiak was initially concentrated in the central and southern regions of Poland, particularly in the areas around the cities of Krakow and Wroclaw. Historical records suggest that some of the earliest known bearers of this surname were peasants, craftsmen, and minor nobility residing in these regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Janiak surname can be found in the Prussian Taxation Register of 1490, which lists a certain "Piotr Janiak" as a landowner in the village of Osiek, near the city of Kalisz. Another early mention is in a 16th-century church register from the town of Brzesko, where a "Jan Janiak" is recorded as a witness to a wedding ceremony in 1567.

In the 17th century, the Janiak surname appears in the records of the Polish gentry (szlachta), suggesting that some family lines had risen in social status. For instance, a nobleman named Marcin Janiak is mentioned in the court records of the city of Lublin in 1632.

One notable figure bearing the Janiak surname was Józef Janiak, a Polish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1777 in the town of Opoczno, he served in the Polish Legions under Napoleon and later became a general in the Polish Army during the November Uprising of 1830-1831 against Russian rule.

Another historical figure of note was Wawrzyniec Janiak (1801-1876), a Polish painter and art professor who taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. He is known for his religious paintings and portraits, some of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Poland.

In the 19th century, the Janiak surname began to spread beyond Poland's borders as a result of emigration. For example, Antoni Janiak (1835-1902), a Polish-American writer and journalist, settled in the United States and published works in both Polish and English.

The name Janiak has also been associated with various place names in Poland, such as the village of Janikowice, which likely derived its name from an early settler or landowner with the Janiak surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Janiak

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

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

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

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