2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Vasilko
A surname of Eastern European origin, meaning "little Basil" or "son of Basil".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Vasilko. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vasilko 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Vasilko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vasilko, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vasilko
The surname Vasilko originated in Eastern Europe, primarily in the countries of Ukraine and Russia. Its roots can be traced back to the 16th century and possibly earlier. The name is a patronymic derived from the Russian given name Vasil or Vasily, which in turn comes from the Greek name Basileios, meaning "kingly" or "royal."
In its earliest recorded instances, the name Vasilko appeared in historical documents and records from the regions of Galicia and Volhynia, which were part of the medieval Kievan Rus' state. These areas are now primarily located within modern-day Ukraine. The name was common among the aristocracy and nobility of the time, as well as among the peasant population.
One of the earliest known references to the name Vasilko can be found in the Hypatian Codex, a 13th-century manuscript that chronicles the history of Kievan Rus'. The codex mentions a prince named Vasilko Rostislavich, who ruled the principality of Terebovl in the late 12th century.
Another notable figure with the surname Vasilko was Yuri Vasilko, a prominent military commander who served under Tsar Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. He played a significant role in the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan, which were important victories for the expanding Russian Empire.
In the 17th century, the Vasilko surname appeared in various records and documents from the Cossack territories of Ukraine. One example is Petro Vasilko, a Cossack leader who participated in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule in the mid-1600s.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable figure was Ivan Vasilko, a renowned painter and portraitist who worked in the court of Empress Catherine the Great in St. Petersburg. His works can be found in various museums and galleries across Russia.
During the 19th century, the Vasilko surname gained prominence in the field of literature. Oleksandr Vasilko was a Ukrainian writer and poet who was actively involved in the Ukrainian national revival movement. He was born in 1837 and his works often explored themes of Ukrainian identity and cultural heritage.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Vasilko throughout history, highlighting its deep roots in Eastern European culture and its association with various fields, from military leadership and art to literature and national movements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vasilko
Among Census respondents with the surname Vasilko, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vasilko 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 Vasilko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vasilko
Vasilko 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+6 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,409 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-8 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,843 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 3,409 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 9,843 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 Vasilko 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 | #132,206 | #142,049 | -7.4% |
| Count | 128 | 120 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vasilko bearers went from 128 to 120 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 9,843 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #142,049.
FAQ
Vasilko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vasilko?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Vasilko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Vasilko?
Vasilko ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Vasilko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Vasilko.
Has Vasilko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vasilko went from 128 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Vasilko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vasilko, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Vasilko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vasilko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Hispanic (0.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Vasilko (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 Vasilko mean?
A surname of Eastern European origin, meaning "little Basil" or "son of Basil". 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 Vasilko (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 Vasilko?
You can see how many people are called Vasilko on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.