2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wasilenko
A Polish surname derived from the given name "Vasyl" meaning "royal" or "kingly".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Wasilenko. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wasilenko 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Wasilenko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasilenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wasilenko
The surname WASILENKO originated in Ukraine during the 15th century. It is derived from the Ukrainian given name Vasyl, which is a variation of the Greek name Basil, meaning "king" or "kingly." The suffix "-enko" indicates a patronymic form, meaning "son of Vasyl."
WASILENKO is believed to have first appeared in historic records from the region of Galicia, an area that is now part of western Ukraine. Some of the earliest written references to the name can be found in church registers and tax records dating back to the late 1400s and early 1500s.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname WASILENKO was Ivan WASILENKO, who lived in the village of Pidkamin, near the city of Lviv, in the late 16th century. Records show that he was a landowner and farmer.
In the 17th century, the name WASILENKO began to spread to other parts of Ukraine, particularly in the central and eastern regions. During this time, variants of the spelling emerged, such as VASYLIENKO and VASILENKO.
A notable bearer of the name was Hryhoriy WASILENKO, a Cossack leader who fought against Polish rule in the late 17th century. He was born around 1650 and played a significant role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising, which aimed to liberate Ukrainian territories from Polish domination.
In the 18th century, the name WASILENKO gained prominence in the Poltava region of central Ukraine. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Petro WASILENKO, a renowned Ukrainian writer and playwright who lived from 1745 to 1808. His works played a crucial role in the development of Ukrainian literature and theater.
Another notable figure was Mariya WASILENKO, a Ukrainian activist and educator who lived from 1824 to 1892. She was a pioneer in the establishment of schools for girls in Ukraine and worked tirelessly to promote education and cultural awareness among the Ukrainian population.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname WASILENKO immigrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Europe, bringing the name to new regions and contributing to its further dissemination.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wasilenko
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasilenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wasilenko 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 Wasilenko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wasilenko
Wasilenko 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,798 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-6 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 785 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 6,798 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.8%) | Up 785 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 Wasilenko 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 | #157,234 | #156,449 | 0.5% |
| Count | 103 | 97 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wasilenko bearers went from 103 to 97 (-5.8% change). The surname moved up 785 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #156,449.
FAQ
Wasilenko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wasilenko?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Wasilenko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Wasilenko?
Wasilenko ranks #156,449 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 97 people with the surname Wasilenko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), 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 Wasilenko.
Has Wasilenko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wasilenko went from 103 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Wasilenko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasilenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Wasilenko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wasilenko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.9%), Hispanic (1.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Wasilenko (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 Wasilenko mean?
A Polish surname derived from the given name "Vasyl" meaning "royal" or "kingly". 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 Wasilenko (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 have the last name Wasilenko?
If you just want to know how common the surname Wasilenko is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.