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

Janoff, 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 Janoff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Janoff in America

Janoff is the 74608th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Janoff surname appeared 259 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 Janoff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Janoff 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 Janoff

The surname Janoff is believed to have originated in Russia and Eastern Europe, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Russian word "Yan," which means "John" or "Ivan," and the suffix "-off," indicating a patronymic surname.

The name likely emerged as a way to distinguish individuals by their father's name, with Janoff initially referring to the son of Jan or Ivan. It is similar in form to other Russian surnames such as Ivanov, Petrov, and Nikolaev.

While there are no known historical references to the name in significant manuscripts or records like the Domesday Book, some of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Janoff include:

1. Mikhail Janoff (1765-1844), a Russian statesman and diplomat who served as the envoy to the United Kingdom during the Napoleonic Wars.

2. Andrei Janoff (1790-1867), a Russian merchant and philanthropist who established a network of trade routes across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

3. Yekaterina Janoff (1820-1892), a Russian noblewoman and landowner known for her extensive estates in the Ural region.

4. Pavel Janoff (1856-1921), a Russian military officer who fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and later became a prominent figure in the White Army during the Russian Civil War.

5. Olga Janoff (1880-1962), a Russian-born ballet dancer and choreographer who performed with the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg before emigrating to France in the early 20th century.

While the name Janoff is primarily associated with Russia and Eastern Europe, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. The surname may also have variations in spelling, such as Jannoff or Yannoff, reflecting regional linguistic differences or anglicization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Janoff

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

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

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

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