2000
#10,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,735
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Stanko
A nickname-derived surname for a person with a complaints or whining, likely of Slavic origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,478 Americans carry the last name Stanko. That puts it at #13,468 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stanko 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
2.5K
1 in 138,319
Census rank
#13,468
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,161 bearers of the surname Stanko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13468th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanko, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stanko
The surname STANKO is believed to have originated in the Slavic region of Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. The name is derived from the Slavic root "stan," which means "dwelling" or "settlement." It is thought to have been used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived in a particular settlement or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the name STANKO can be traced back to the 14th century, when it appeared in various records and documents from the region. For example, there are mentions of individuals with the name STANKO in the Akty Grodzkie, a collection of legal records from the Galician region of Poland from the 14th to the 18th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname STANKO was Jan STANKO, a nobleman who lived in the Polish city of Krakow in the late 14th century. Records indicate that he owned land and properties in the region and was involved in local politics.
Another notable figure was Michał STANKO, a Polish military officer who fought in the Polish-Muscovite War of 1654-1667. He was born in the early 17th century and played a significant role in defending the city of Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine) against the Muscovite forces.
In the 18th century, there was a Polish artist named Józef STANKO, who was known for his religious paintings and frescoes. He was active in the late 1700s and worked primarily in churches and monasteries throughout Poland.
Moving into the 19th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname STANKO was Franciszek STANKO, a Polish writer and journalist born in 1835. He was a prolific author and contributed to various newspapers and literary magazines of the time.
Another notable figure from the 19th century was Teodor STANKO, a Ukrainian-born botanist who lived from 1833 to 1902. He was known for his research on the flora of the Carpathian Mountains and contributed significantly to the field of plant taxonomy.
It is worth noting that the surname STANKO has also been found in various other Slavic countries, such as Slovakia, Croatia, and Serbia, although the exact origins and meanings may vary slightly in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stanko
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanko, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stanko 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 Stanko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,967
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 119
- Two or more races2.0% · 43
- Black or African American0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stanko
Stanko 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
#11,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,853
+118 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 402 places
2020
#13,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,161
-692 bearers (-24.3%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 2,352 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,714 | 2,735 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,116 | 2,853 | 0.97 | +118 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 402 places |
| 2020 | #13,468 | 2,161 | 0.72 | -692 bearers (-24.3%) | Down 2,352 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 Stanko 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 | #11,116 | #13,468 | -21.2% |
| Count | 2,853 | 2,161 | -24.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.72 | -25.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stanko bearers went from 2,853 to 2,161 (-24.3% change). The surname moved down 2,352 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,116 to #13,468.
FAQ
Stanko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stanko?
Name Census estimates that about 2,478 living Americans carry the surname Stanko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,319 residents.
How common is Stanko?
Stanko ranks #13,468 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,161 people with the surname Stanko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,478), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Stanko.
Has Stanko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stanko went from 2,853 recorded bearers to 2,161. That is a decrease of 692 (-24.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,116 to #13,468.
What does the Census say about the background of Stanko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanko, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Stanko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,967 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stanko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Stanko (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 Stanko mean?
A nickname-derived surname for a person with a complaints or whining, likely of Slavic origin. 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 Stanko (0.72 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 Americans have the surname Stanko?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.