2000
#3,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.36
Rare Last name
Jankowski
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "John's town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,503 Americans carry the last name Jankowski. That puts it at #4,146 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,068 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jankowski 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 Jankowski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.5K
1 in 36,068
Census rank
#4,146
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,287 bearers of the surname Jankowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4146th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jankowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jankowski
The surname Jankowski has its origins in Poland, with records indicating its existence as early as the 14th century. It is derived from the Polish name Jan, which is a form of the biblical name John, combined with the possessive suffix "-owski," indicating belonging or descent.
This surname was particularly prevalent in the central and eastern regions of Poland, including areas around Warsaw, Lublin, and Krakow. It is believed that the name may have originated from the practice of identifying individuals by their father's name or place of residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Jankowski surname can be found in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, which mention several individuals bearing this name.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Jan Jankowski (1628-1692) was a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in various conflicts against the Swedish and Ottoman forces. He is remembered for his bravery and leadership during the Polish-Ottoman War.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Józef Jankowski (1795-1865), a Polish writer, poet, and translator who made significant contributions to Polish literature during the Romantic period.
During the 19th century, the Jankowski name was also found in the historical records of the Russian Empire, particularly in the regions of present-day Belarus and Ukraine, which were once part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
One notable figure from this period was Michał Jankowski (1834-1912), a Polish-Russian engineer and inventor who was responsible for developing early models of the modern-day submarine.
In the 20th century, the Jankowski surname gained international recognition through the accomplishments of individuals such as Henryk Jankowski (1936-2010), a Polish-American artist and sculptor known for his monumental public works, and Józef Jankowski (1910-1995), a Polish writer and journalist who documented the struggles of the Polish people during World War II.
While the Jankowski surname has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora, with individuals bearing this name making notable contributions across various fields and disciplines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jankowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Jankowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jankowski 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 Jankowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 7,707
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 256
- Two or more races2.8% · 230
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 59
- Black or African American0.3% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jankowski
Jankowski 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
#3,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,970
-90 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 361 places
2020
#4,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,287
-683 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.77
Rank movement Down 182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,603 | 9,060 | 3.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,964 | 8,970 | 3.04 | -90 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 361 places |
| 2020 | #4,146 | 8,287 | 2.77 | -683 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 182 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 Jankowski 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 | #3,964 | #4,146 | -4.6% |
| Count | 8,970 | 8,287 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.04 | 2.77 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jankowski bearers went from 8,970 to 8,287 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 182 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,964 to #4,146.
FAQ
Jankowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jankowski?
Name Census estimates that about 9,503 living Americans carry the surname Jankowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,068 residents.
How common is Jankowski?
Jankowski ranks #4,146 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,287 people with the surname Jankowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,503), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Jankowski.
Has Jankowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jankowski went from 8,970 recorded bearers to 8,287. That is a decrease of 683 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,964 to #4,146.
What does the Census say about the background of Jankowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jankowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Jankowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (7,707 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jankowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Jankowski (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 Jankowski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "John's town." 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 Jankowski (2.77 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 many people are called Jankowski?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Jankowski, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.