2000
#111,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tansky
A surname of Polish or Russian origin meaning "from Tańsko", a village name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 159 Americans carry the last name Tansky. That puts it at #128,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,155,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tansky 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
159
1 in 2,155,688
Census rank
#128,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
139
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 139 bearers of the surname Tansky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 128411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tansky
The surname Tansky has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the regions of Poland and Ukraine. It is believed to have emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century, during a period when surnames were becoming more widely adopted.
The name Tansky is thought to be derived from the Polish or Ukrainian word "tańczyć," meaning "to dance." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who was a skilled dancer or perhaps even a dance instructor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tansky can be found in a Polish census record from the 16th century, where a family bearing this surname was listed as residing in the town of Krakow.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Jan Tansky (1625-1701) was a renowned Polish painter and artist, known for his stunning religious artwork that adorned many churches and cathedrals throughout the region.
Another prominent individual with the surname Tansky was Fyodor Tansky (1790-1867), a Ukrainian military leader who played a significant role in the Crimean War, serving as a general in the Russian Imperial Army.
During the 19th century, the name Tansky began to spread beyond its Eastern European roots as families immigrated to other parts of the world. One such individual was Aleksander Tansky (1838-1912), a Polish-born engineer who made significant contributions to the construction of railroads in the United States.
In the early 20th century, a Ukrainian writer and poet named Olena Tansky (1905-1985) gained recognition for her literary works that explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
Lastly, a notable figure in the world of ballet was Mikhail Tansky (1920-1995), a Russian-born choreographer and dancer who rose to prominence with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow.
Throughout its history, the surname Tansky has been associated with various professions, from the arts and literature to military service and engineering, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and talents of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tansky
Among Census respondents with the surname Tansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tansky 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 Tansky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 2
- Two or more races1.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tansky
Tansky 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+2 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,740 places
2020
#128,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-9 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,740 | 146 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 5,740 places |
| 2020 | #128,411 | 139 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 10,931 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 Tansky 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 | #117,480 | #128,411 | -9.3% |
| Count | 148 | 139 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tansky bearers went from 148 to 139 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 10,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #128,411.
FAQ
Tansky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tansky?
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the surname Tansky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,155,688 residents.
How common is Tansky?
Tansky ranks #128,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 139 people with the surname Tansky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Tansky.
Has Tansky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tansky went from 148 recorded bearers to 139. That is a decrease of 9 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #128,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Tansky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Tansky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (134 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tansky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Hispanic (1.4%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Tansky (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 Tansky mean?
A surname of Polish or Russian origin meaning "from Tańsko", a village name. 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 Tansky (0.05 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 have the surname Tansky?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.