2000
#43,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Janikowski
An Eastern European surname derived from the given name "Jan".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 524 Americans carry the last name Janikowski. That puts it at #49,659 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 654,111 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Janikowski 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
524
1 in 654,111
Census rank
#49,659
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
457
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 457 bearers of the surname Janikowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49659th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Janikowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Janikowski
The surname Janikowski is of Polish origin and dates back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "janik," which means "little John," and the suffix "-owski," indicating a patronymic surname.
The name was initially found in the regions of Greater Poland and Pomerania, where it was commonly associated with the lower nobility or gentry class. The earliest recorded mention of the surname can be traced back to a document from 1425 in the town of Poznan, referring to a certain Jan Janikowski.
In the 16th century, the Janikowski name appeared in various historical records, such as land deeds and tax rolls, particularly in the areas around Bydgoszcz and Torun. One notable figure from this period was Pawel Janikowski (1510-1582), a merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the economic development of the city of Bydgoszcz.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Janikowski surname spread across other parts of Poland, including the regions of Silesia and Masovia. In 1687, a record from the town of Wroclaw mentioned a certain Tomasz Janikowski, a skilled craftsman and member of the local guild.
The 19th century saw the rise of several prominent individuals bearing the Janikowski name. One such figure was Jan Janikowski (1818-1891), a renowned writer and poet who contributed to the development of Polish literature during the Romantic era.
Another notable Janikowski was Stefan Janikowski (1854-1927), a pioneering engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of the first railway line connecting Warsaw and St. Petersburg in the late 19th century.
In the early 20th century, the name Janikowski gained further recognition with the accomplishments of Antoni Janikowski (1876-1945), a celebrated painter and art educator who founded the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.
Throughout its history, the Janikowski surname has been associated with various occupations, from merchants and artisans to intellectuals and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Janikowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Janikowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Janikowski 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 Janikowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 440
- Two or more races1.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Janikowski
Janikowski 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
#43,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 500
+35 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 502 places
2020
#49,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 457
-43 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 6,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,708 | 465 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,206 | 500 | 0.17 | +35 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 502 places |
| 2020 | #49,659 | 457 | 0.15 | -43 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 6,453 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 Janikowski 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 | #43,206 | #49,659 | -14.9% |
| Count | 500 | 457 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.15 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Janikowski bearers went from 500 to 457 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 6,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,206 to #49,659.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Janikowski
FAQ
Janikowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Janikowski?
Name Census estimates that about 524 living Americans carry the surname Janikowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 654,111 residents.
How common is Janikowski?
Janikowski ranks #49,659 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 457 people with the surname Janikowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (524), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Janikowski.
Has Janikowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Janikowski went from 500 recorded bearers to 457. That is a decrease of 43 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,206 to #49,659.
What does the Census say about the background of Janikowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Janikowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Janikowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Janikowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Janikowski (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 Janikowski mean?
An Eastern European surname derived from the given name "Jan". 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 Janikowski (0.15 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 Americans have the surname Janikowski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.