2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vanisko
Occupational surname of Slavic origin, possibly meaning someone who worked as a brewer or tavern keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Vanisko. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanisko 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Vanisko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanisko, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanisko
The surname VANISKO originates from the Slovak region of central Europe, likely arising in the 16th or 17th century. It is believed to derive from the personal name Vanyo, a diminutive form of the Slavic name Ivan, meaning "God is gracious." The suffix "-sko" was commonly added to Slovak surnames during this period, indicating a patronymic or familial connection.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VANISKO name can be found in a 1638 church registry from the village of Nitrianska Blatnica, located in present-day western Slovakia. Here, a man named Juraj Vanisko is listed as a landholder and farmer. This suggests the surname had already become established in the region by the early 17th century.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure bearing the VANISKO name was Ján Vanisko (1734-1799), a Slovak Catholic priest and educator who served as the rector of the prestigious Prešov Lyceum. His contributions to education and religious life in the area were significant during his lifetime.
Moving into the 19th century, the VANISKO surname appears in various records from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which controlled much of modern-day Slovakia at the time. For example, a Michal Vanisko is listed as a resident of the town of Dolný Kubín in the 1857 census records for the region.
One of the most prominent individuals with the VANISKO surname was Jozef Vanisko (1872-1949), a Slovak painter and art teacher who played a key role in the development of Slovak Impressionism. His works, which often depicted scenes of rural Slovak life, are housed in major galleries across the country.
Another notable figure was Ján Vanisko (1891-1963), a Slovak politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice for the short-lived Slovak Republic during World War II. While his political legacy remains controversial, his legal expertise and advocacy for Slovak independence were significant factors in his career.
Throughout the 20th century, the VANISKO surname continued to be found predominantly in Slovakia and among Slovak communities in neighboring countries, though some individuals bearing the name have since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanisko
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanisko, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanisko 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 Vanisko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanisko
Vanisko appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-2 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,750 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 2,750 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 Vanisko 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 | #158,432 | #155,682 | 1.7% |
| Count | 102 | 100 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanisko bearers went from 102 to 100 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 2,750 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #155,682.
FAQ
Vanisko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanisko?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Vanisko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Vanisko?
Vanisko ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Vanisko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Vanisko.
Has Vanisko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanisko went from 102 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 2 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanisko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanisko, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Vanisko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanisko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Vanisko (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 Vanisko mean?
Occupational surname of Slavic origin, possibly meaning someone who worked as a brewer or tavern keeper. 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 Vanisko (0.03 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 Vanisko?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Vanisko at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.