Find out how popular the last name Yankowski is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Yankowski.

Yankowski, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Yankowski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yankowski in America

Yankowski is the 41164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yankowski surname appeared 529 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Yankowski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yankowski to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Yankowski

The surname Yankowski finds its origins in Poland, dating back to the medieval period. Derived from the word Jan, the Polish form of John, and the suffix -owski, which indicates a noble or land-owning family in Poland, the name Yankowski essentially means "son of Jan" or "related to Jan." The surname is tied to geographic locations and often associates with villages or regions named after a person named Jan.

The geographical roots of Yankowski can be primarily located in areas within the historical territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The surname is often linked to small villages or estates where the family may have held some form of local influence or land. Variations in spelling and transliteration of the surname can be found in old records, such as Jankowski or Jankowsky, due to the regional dialects and phonetic interpretations by scribes of the time.

Historical references to the name can be found in various manuscripts and documents dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. One of the earliest recorded examples of this surname appears in a 1410 court record from the Masovian Voivodeship, in which a Piotr Yankowski is mentioned as a landowner. Additionally, tax records from the 16th century frequently list families with the surname Yankowski, indicating that the name was associated with local nobility or prosperous landowners.

One notable individual with this surname is Michael Yankowski, who was born around 1520 and served as a court official in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Another prominent figure is Andrzej Yankowski, who participated in the Polish-Lithuanian uprising against Tsarist Russia in the 19th century and tragically met his end in 1864. The surname also appears in literary circles, with writer and poet Tadeusz Yankowski, born in 1898, making significant contributions to Polish literature during the interwar period.

In the realm of science and academics, one can find Celina Yankowski, born in 1835, who made remarkable strides in the field of botany and was among the few female scientists of her time. The cultural influence of the Yankowski family extends into modern times with Ludwik Yankowski, born in 1887, who was a renowned concert pianist and composer, gracing the stages of Europe and significantly contributing to classical music.

The story of the surname Yankowski is rich with connections to land, nobility, and cultural contributions, deeply entrenched in Polish history. Its etymology and presence in historical records underline a legacy that has spanned centuries, reflecting the enduring nature of names within familial and regional histories.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yankowski

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Yankowski.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Yankowski was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Yankowski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Yankowski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Yankowski, please contact us.

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