Explore the Family Name Sanko

The meaning of Sanko

1. Belorussian; Polish (of Belorussian origin; Sańko): from a pet form of the personal name Alyaksandr (see Alexander). 2. Croatian (Šanko): from a pet form of the personal name Aleksandar (see Alexander) or its dialect variant Alešandro, derived from Italian Alessandro. 3. Hungarian: from a pet form of Sándor, Hungarian form of Alexander. 4. Slovak (Šanko): from a pet form of the personal name Šándor, Slovak form of Hungarian Sándor (see 3 above). 5. Japanese (Sankō): written 三光 ‘three lights’, or 三功 ‘three merits’. Neither is very common, but both are found in various locations.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Sanko in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Sanko has seen a considerable decrease over the span of a decade. In 2000, Sanko was ranked 32,900 in popularity, but by 2010 it had fallen to 42,237 – a drop of 28.38%. The count of individuals with the surname also declined from 657 in 2000 to 514 in 2010, marking a 21.77% decrease. The proportional representation of Sanko per 100k people also saw a decline from 0.24 to 0.17, which is a 29.17% change.

20002010Change
Rank#32,900#42,237-28.38%
Count657514-21.77%
Proportion per 100k0.240.17-29.17%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sanko

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Sanko shows some interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest percentage of people with this surname identified as White, making up 95.89% in 2000 and slightly decreasing to 94.55% in 2010. Those identifying as Black or belonging to two or more races saw an increase, from 1.07% to 2.33% and 0.76% to 1.56%, respectively. The Hispanic representation increased slightly from 1.22% to 1.36%. However, there were no records of this surname being associated with Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities in either year.

20002010Change
White95.89%94.55%-1.4%
Black1.07%2.33%117.76%
Two or More Races0.76%1.56%105.26%
Hispanic1.22%1.36%11.48%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%