2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lanko
A locational surname originating in Poland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Lanko. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lanko 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Lanko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lanko, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lanko
The surname Lanko is of Eastern European origin, with roots tracing back to the regions of modern-day Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 14th centuries.
One possible derivation of Lanko is from the Slavic word "lank," which means "valley" or "lowland." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who resided in or near valleys or lowland areas. Alternatively, it could have originated from a nickname or personal characteristic, such as someone with a slender or lanky appearance.
In older records, the name often appeared with variations in spelling, such as Lankov, Lankow, or Lancko. These differences were common due to regional dialects and the inconsistent use of orthography in historical documents.
The earliest known mention of the surname Lanko can be found in a Polish cadastral (land registry) record from the late 15th century, where it was recorded as "Lankov." This suggests that the name had already been in use for several generations by that time.
One notable individual with the surname Lanko was Jan Lanko, a Polish military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish War of the mid-17th century. He played a crucial role in the defense of the city of Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine) against Swedish forces in 1655.
Another historical figure was Stanisław Lanko, a Polish philosopher and educator who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and authored several works on logic and philosophy.
In the 18th century, Andrzej Lanko was a prominent Polish landowner and businessman. He owned several estates in the Lublin region and was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the construction of a hospital and a school for underprivileged children.
The name Lanko was also present in the territory of modern-day Belarus. One notable bearer was Mikałaj Lanko, a Belarusian peasant leader who participated in the uprisings against Russian imperial rule in the early 19th century.
In the 20th century, Vasyl Lanko was a prominent Ukrainian writer and poet. Born in 1908, his works often explored themes of national identity and the struggle for independence. He was persecuted by Soviet authorities for his nationalist views and spent several years in labor camps.
While the surname Lanko is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the cultural heritage of Eastern Europe, with its roots dating back to the medieval period and its bearers having left their mark on the history of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lanko
Among Census respondents with the surname Lanko, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lanko 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 Lanko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 98
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lanko
Lanko 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,749 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 14,749 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,086 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 Lanko 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 | #151,532 | #149,446 | 1.4% |
| Count | 108 | 110 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lanko bearers went from 108 to 110 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #149,446.
FAQ
Lanko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lanko?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Lanko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Lanko?
Lanko ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Lanko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Lanko.
Has Lanko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lanko went from 108 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Lanko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lanko, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Lanko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lanko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Black (3.6%). 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 Lanko (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 Lanko mean?
A locational surname originating in Poland. 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 Lanko (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 Lanko?
See how many Americans have the surname Lanko on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.