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

Janky, 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 Janky surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Janky in America

Janky is the 141140th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Janky surname appeared 118 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 Janky.

We can also compare 2010 data for Janky 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 Janky

The surname "JANKY" is believed to have originated in the Czech Republic during the late 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old Czech word "janky," meaning "unsteady" or "wobbly." The name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who walked with an unsteady gait or had an unstable demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the small village of Jankovec, located in the region of Moravia, where a farmer named Jan Janky is listed as residing in the year 1598. It is possible that the name may have originated in this area and then spread to other parts of the Czech lands.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various legal documents and court records across Bohemia and Moravia, indicating that individuals bearing the surname were involved in various trades and professions during this time period. One notable example is that of Matej Janky, a blacksmith from the town of Klatovy, who is mentioned in a property dispute in 1637.

As the centuries progressed, the name began to spread beyond the borders of the Czech lands. In the late 18th century, a family by the name of Janky emigrated from Moravia to the Austrian Empire, settling in the town of Salzburg. This branch of the Janky family produced several notable figures, including Johann Janky (1755-1822), a respected clockmaker, and his son, Friedrich Janky (1785-1862), who followed in his father's footsteps and became a celebrated watchmaker.

Another prominent individual with the surname was the Czech painter and illustrator, Emil Janky (1836-1907), whose works depicted scenes from everyday life in rural Bohemia and Moravia. His paintings are now housed in various art museums and galleries across the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

During the 19th century, members of the Janky family also made their way to the United States, with records showing several individuals settling in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. One such individual was Frantisek Janky (1822-1892), a farmer who immigrated from Bohemia and established a homestead in the town of Wilber, Nebraska, in the late 1860s.

Throughout the centuries, the surname "JANKY" has been subject to various spelling variations, including Janky, Jankyi, Jancky, and Jankee, among others. While the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich history spanning multiple countries and generations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Janky

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

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

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

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