2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lalko
A Slavic surname likely derived from a nickname referring to a person with a merry or adventurous disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Lalko. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lalko 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Lalko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lalko, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lalko
The surname Lalko has its origins in Poland, tracing back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "lalka," which means "doll" or "puppet." This could suggest that the name originally referred to a person who made or sold dolls, or perhaps someone with a small stature resembling a doll.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lalko can be found in the historical records of the town of Krakow, where a certain Jan Lalko is mentioned as a resident in 1587. Additionally, there is evidence of a family named Lalko living in the village of Wieliczka, near Krakow, in the early 17th century.
In the late 18th century, the name Lalko appeared in the parish records of the town of Płock, located in central Poland. This suggests that the name had spread from its initial origins in southern Poland to other regions of the country.
During the 19th century, several notable individuals bearing the surname Lalko emerged. One such person was Franciszek Lalko (1820-1892), a renowned writer and poet from the city of Lublin. Another was Stanisław Lalko (1844-1911), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Galician Diet (regional parliament) in Lviv.
In the 20th century, the most famous bearer of the Lalko name was likely Henryk Lalko (1899-1976), a Polish military officer who played a significant role in the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi German occupation during World War II. He was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration, for his bravery and leadership.
Other notable individuals with the Lalko surname include Władysław Lalko (1907-1989), a respected botanist and professor at the University of Warsaw, and Jerzy Lalko (born 1944), a mathematician and member of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
While the surname Lalko is not among the most common in Poland, it has a rich history dating back several centuries and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, including literature, law, military service, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lalko
Among Census respondents with the surname Lalko, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lalko 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 Lalko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 92
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lalko
Lalko 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,932 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 780 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 17,932 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 780 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 Lalko 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 | #153,769 | #152,989 | 0.5% |
| Count | 106 | 105 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lalko bearers went from 106 to 105 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 780 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #152,989.
FAQ
Lalko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lalko?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Lalko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Lalko?
Lalko ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Lalko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Lalko.
Has Lalko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lalko went from 106 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Lalko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lalko, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Lalko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lalko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Lalko (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 Lalko mean?
A Slavic surname likely derived from a nickname referring to a person with a merry or adventurous disposition. 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 Lalko (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 are called Lalko?
Find out how many people have the surname Lalko on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.