2000
#14,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,964
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Janicki
Derived from the Polish word "Janik," meaning "son of Jan" or "son of John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,131 Americans carry the last name Janicki. That puts it at #15,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Janicki 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Janicki with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,842
Census rank
#15,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,858 bearers of the surname Janicki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Janicki, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Janicki
The surname Janicki is of Polish origin, derived from the personal name Jan, which is a Polish form of the name John. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Poland, where it was prevalent among the Polish nobility and gentry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Janicki can be found in the Tczew Land Records from the 14th century, where a nobleman named Janusz Janicki is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Pomerania. These records provide valuable insights into the historical significance of the name and its association with the Polish aristocracy.
During the Renaissance period, the Janicki family played a prominent role in the cultural and intellectual life of Poland. Klemens Janicki (1516-1543), a renowned Polish poet and humanist, was a significant figure of the Polish Renaissance. His literary works, including his famous collection of poems "Tristia," have left an indelible mark on Polish literature.
The Janicki name also has a connection to the Polish military history. Jan Janicki (1775-1848) was a distinguished Polish general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and the November Uprising against the Russian Empire. His bravery and leadership during these conflicts earned him a place in the annals of Polish military history.
In the 19th century, the Janicki family contributed to the field of science and academia. Antoni Janicki (1823-1892) was a prominent Polish botanist and professor at the University of Warsaw. His research on the flora of Poland and his contributions to botanical taxonomy are widely recognized in the scientific community.
Another notable figure bearing the Janicki surname was Franciszek Janicki (1884-1957), a Polish painter and art critic. His works, which often depicted landscapes and rural scenes, are considered important examples of the Polish Realist movement in art.
The Janicki surname has also been associated with various place names in Poland, such as Janicki Bór, a village in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and Janicki Kierz, a village in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. These place names may have derived from the presence of Janicki families in these regions or from geographical features associated with the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Janicki
Among Census respondents with the surname Janicki, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Janicki 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 Janicki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,734
- Two or more races3.0% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Janicki
Janicki 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
#15,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,940
-24 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,114 places
2020
#15,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,858
-82 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,069 | 1,964 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,183 | 1,940 | 0.66 | -24 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 1,114 places |
| 2020 | #15,213 | 1,858 | 0.62 | -82 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 30 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 Janicki 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 | #15,183 | #15,213 | -0.2% |
| Count | 1,940 | 1,858 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.62 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Janicki bearers went from 1,940 to 1,858 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,183 to #15,213.
FAQ
Janicki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Janicki?
Name Census estimates that about 2,131 living Americans carry the surname Janicki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,842 residents.
How common is Janicki?
Janicki ranks #15,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,858 people with the surname Janicki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Janicki.
Has Janicki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Janicki went from 1,940 recorded bearers to 1,858. That is a decrease of 82 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,183 to #15,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Janicki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Janicki, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Janicki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,734 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Janicki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Janicki (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 Janicki mean?
Derived from the Polish word "Janik," meaning "son of Jan" or "son of 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 Janicki (0.62 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 Janicki?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Janicki, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.