Tanski last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Tanski

A Polish surname likely derived from the word "tancerz" meaning "dancer."

Tanski, 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 Tanski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tanski in America

Tanski is the 27732nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tanski surname appeared 867 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 Tanski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tanski 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 27732 25304 9.16%
Count 867 919 -5.82%
Proportion per 100k 0.29 0.34 -15.87%

The history of the last name Tanski

The surname Tanski is of Polish origin and is believed to have its roots in the late 15th century or early 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "tańscy," which was a demonym referring to people from the village of Tańsk, located in the historical region of Kuyavia, in north-central Poland. The village's name is thought to have originated from the Polish word "tańcować," meaning "to dance."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tanski can be found in a 16th-century church registry from the village of Tańsk, where a man named Jakub Tanski was listed as a resident. Another early reference is found in a 1618 land ownership document, which mentions a Jan Tanski as the owner of a farm in the nearby village of Chełmno.

In the 17th century, the surname gained prominence with the birth of Andrzej Tanski (1631-1698), a Catholic priest and scholar who authored several theological texts and served as a advisor to the Polish nobility. Another notable figure was Katarzyna Tanska (1675-1741), a noblewoman and philanthropist known for her support of local orphanages and schools.

The 18th century saw the birth of Stanisław Tanski (1712-1789), a military officer who fought in the Polish-Russian War of 1768-1772. He is remembered for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of Kraków, where he commanded a battalion of Polish hussars.

In the 19th century, the name Tanski became associated with the Polish diaspora, as many individuals bearing the surname emigrated from Poland to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such person was Józef Tanski (1823-1897), a prominent businessman and community leader who settled in Chicago, Illinois, and helped establish the city's first Polish Catholic church.

Another notable figure was Zofia Tanska (1855-1921), a Polish writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education. Her works, which included novels and short stories, often explored themes of social injustice and gender inequality.

As the Tanski surname spread across different regions and continents, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Tansky, Tanski, and Tanskey. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the village of Tańsk and its historical connection to the Polish language and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tanski

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

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 Tanski was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.85% 831
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.58% 5
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.81% 7
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.42% 21
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Tanski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.85% 97.39% -1.59%
Black 0.58% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.81% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.42% 1.52% 45.69%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Tanski last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/tanski-surname-popularity/.

"Tanski last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/tanski-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Tanski last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/tanski-surname-popularity/.

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