2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Janky
A surname deriving from a Czech nickname for one with a wry sense of humor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Janky. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Janky 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Janky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Janky, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Janky
Among Census respondents with the surname Janky, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Janky 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 Janky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Janky
Janky 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+11 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,679 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,617 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,679 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,617 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 Janky 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 | #141,140 | #145,757 | -3.3% |
| Count | 118 | 115 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Janky bearers went from 118 to 115 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,617 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #145,757.
FAQ
Janky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Janky?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Janky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Janky?
Janky ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Janky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Janky.
Has Janky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Janky went from 118 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Janky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Janky, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Janky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Janky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Janky (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 Janky mean?
A surname deriving from a Czech nickname for one with a wry sense of humor. 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 Janky (0.04 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 last name Janky?
Find out how many people have the last name Janky on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.