2000
#94,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Volchko
A surname derived from the Russian word "volchok" meaning "little wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 187 Americans carry the last name Volchko. That puts it at #114,090 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,832,911 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Volchko 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
187
1 in 1,832,911
Census rank
#114,090
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
163
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 163 bearers of the surname Volchko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 114090th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Volchko, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Volchko
The surname Volchko has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the regions of Belarus and Ukraine. It is derived from the Old East Slavic word "volchek," which means "little wolf." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone associated with wolves or someone who possessed wolf-like qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Volchko surname dates back to the 16th century in the city of Minsk, which was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the time. The name appears in several historical documents from that period, including tax records and property deeds.
In the 17th century, the Volchko family seems to have expanded their presence in the region, with several members being listed as landowners and merchants in various towns and villages across Belarus and Ukraine. One notable figure from this time was Hryhoriy Volchko, a successful merchant who lived in the city of Kyiv (Kiev) in the late 1600s.
As the years progressed, the Volchko surname became more widespread, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of Eastern Europe. In the late 18th century, a man named Fedor Volchko was a prominent landowner in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine.
In the 19th century, Volodymyr Volchko, a Ukrainian writer and poet, was born in the village of Kulykivka in 1842. He is known for his contributions to the Ukrainian literary movement of the time.
Another notable figure with the Volchko surname was Mykola Volchko, a Ukrainian politician and statesman who lived from 1857 to 1933. He played a significant role in the Ukrainian independence movement during the early 20th century.
Towards the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, many individuals with the Volchko surname emigrated from Eastern Europe to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and South America, contributing to the global spread of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Volchko
Among Census respondents with the surname Volchko, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Volchko 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 Volchko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.8% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Volchko
Volchko 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
-20 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 16,059 places
2020
#114,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
+3 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,804 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #94,227 | 180 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | -20 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 16,059 places |
| 2020 | #114,090 | 163 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 3,804 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 Volchko 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 | #110,286 | #114,090 | -3.4% |
| Count | 160 | 163 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Volchko bearers went from 160 to 163 (+1.9% change). The surname moved down 3,804 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #114,090.
FAQ
Volchko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Volchko?
Name Census estimates that about 187 living Americans carry the surname Volchko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,832,911 residents.
How common is Volchko?
Volchko ranks #114,090 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 163 people with the surname Volchko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (187), 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 Volchko.
Has Volchko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Volchko went from 160 recorded bearers to 163. That is an increase of 3 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,286 to #114,090.
What does the Census say about the background of Volchko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Volchko, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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 Volchko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.8% (161 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Volchko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.8%), Hispanic (0.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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 Volchko (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 Volchko mean?
A surname derived from the Russian word "volchok" meaning "little wolf." 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 Volchko (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 share the surname Volchko?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.