2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lelko
A regional Polish surname originating from the region of Lesser Poland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Lelko. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lelko 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Lelko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lelko, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lelko
The surname Lelko originated in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, specifically in the area that is now modern-day Poland. The name is believed to have emerged sometime in the 13th or 14th century, derived from the Slavic root word "lel," which means "small" or "little." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a nickname or descriptor for someone of small stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lelko can be found in a manuscript from the city of Krakow, dated around 1380. This document mentions a man named Jakub Lelko, who was a merchant and landowner in the region. Another early reference is found in the records of the town of Tarnów, where a Michał Lelko is listed as a member of the local guild of tailors in the late 15th century.
Throughout the following centuries, the Lelko name appears to have spread across various parts of Poland, as well as into neighboring areas such as Ukraine and Belarus. In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was Jan Lelko, a Polish military commander who fought in the wars against the Ottomans and the Swedes.
By the 17th century, the name had also established a presence in other parts of Eastern Europe, including parts of Russia and the Baltic region. One notable individual from this era was Andrzej Lelko, a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman and landowner who lived from 1632 to 1701.
In the 19th century, the Lelko surname made its way to other parts of the world, likely due to emigration from Eastern Europe. One prominent example from this period is Józef Lelko, a Polish-American painter and artist who was born in 1838 and whose works can be found in several museums throughout the United States.
Another notable figure with the Lelko surname was Antoni Lelko, a Polish politician and activist who lived from 1875 to 1949 and played a significant role in the struggle for Polish independence and the establishment of the Second Polish Republic.
While the Lelko name has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various other regions and countries around the world, carried by individuals and families who have emigrated from their ancestral homelands over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lelko
Among Census respondents with the surname Lelko, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lelko 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 Lelko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lelko
Lelko 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-13 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,373 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,982 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 18,373 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,982 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 Lelko 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 | #137,327 | #141,309 | -2.9% |
| Count | 122 | 121 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lelko bearers went from 122 to 121 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,982 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #141,309.
FAQ
Lelko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lelko?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Lelko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Lelko?
Lelko ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Lelko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Lelko.
Has Lelko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lelko went from 122 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Lelko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lelko, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Lelko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lelko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Lelko (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 Lelko mean?
A regional Polish surname originating from the region of Lesser 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 Lelko (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 Lelko?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Lelko? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.