2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jankus
A surname of Lithuanian origin meaning little or small.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Jankus. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jankus 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Jankus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jankus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jankus
The surname Jankus is of Lithuanian origin, emerging in the 16th century from the northwestern region of the country. It is derived from the Lithuanian given name Jankus, a diminutive form of the name Jonas, which is the Lithuanian equivalent of John. The name Jankus likely originated as a nickname or a way to distinguish between multiple individuals named Jonas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jankus can be found in the 1567 Lithuanian Metrica, a collection of official records and documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The entry mentions a certain Jankus Petrovich, a landowner in the Kaunas region. This suggests that the surname was already in use among the Lithuanian nobility and landowners during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the surname Jankus appeared in several historical documents related to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. For example, a merchant named Mykolas Jankus is mentioned in the records of the Vilnius Magistrate from 1639. This indicates that the name had spread to urban areas and was not exclusively limited to rural or noble families.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Jankus became more widespread across Lithuania and its neighboring regions. Notable individuals bearing this name include Jonas Jankus (1782-1848), a Lithuanian poet and translator who played a significant role in the development of Lithuanian literature during the National Revival period.
Another prominent figure was Antanas Jankus (1857-1919), a Lithuanian journalist and activist who advocated for the Lithuanian language and cultural rights. He founded several Lithuanian-language newspapers and played a crucial role in the Lithuanian press ban resistance movement against the Russian Empire's efforts to suppress the Lithuanian language and culture.
In the early 20th century, Vincas Jankus (1879-1938) was a prominent Lithuanian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania and the Seimas (parliament). He played an essential role in drafting the first Constitution of Lithuania and shaping the country's legal system after its independence from the Russian Empire.
While the surname Jankus is primarily associated with Lithuania, it has also been found in other neighboring regions, such as Belarus and Poland, likely due to migration and cultural exchange between these areas throughout history. However, the surname remains most prevalent in Lithuania and among the Lithuanian diaspora communities around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jankus
Among Census respondents with the surname Jankus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jankus 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 Jankus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 7
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jankus
Jankus 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-14 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,111 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 21,111 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,370 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 Jankus 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 | #145,220 | #153,590 | -5.8% |
| Count | 114 | 104 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jankus bearers went from 114 to 104 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 8,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #153,590.
FAQ
Jankus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jankus?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Jankus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Jankus?
Jankus ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Jankus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Jankus.
Has Jankus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jankus went from 114 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Jankus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jankus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Jankus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jankus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (6.7%), Black (1.0%). 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 Jankus (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 Jankus mean?
A surname of Lithuanian origin meaning little or small. 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 Jankus (0.03 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 have the surname Jankus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.