Explore the Family Name Tanko

The meaning of Tanko

1. Hungarian: from an altered form of the personal name Tamkó, a pet form of Tamás, Hungarian equivalent of Thomas. 2. Slovenian: probably from a Slovenized form of German (Gottscheerish) dialect tanke ‘left’, either applied as a nickname to a left-handed person or imported and adapted as a surname (see Tanke). 3. West African (mainly Nigeria and Niger): Hausa name, from a personal name denoting a boy born after several successive girls.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Tanko has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. The ranking of the surname fell by approximately 3.37% from 63,812 in 2000 to 65,964 in 2010. However, despite the lower ranking, the actual count of individuals with the surname Tanko increased by about 2.74%, from 292 in 2000 to 300 in 2010. This suggests that while the name Tanko may be less common compared to other surnames, the number of people with this last name is slowly growing.

20002010Change
Rank#63,812#65,964-3.37%
Count2923002.74%
Proportion per 100k0.110.1-9.09%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tanko

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Tanko also saw some changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, a vast majority (90.41%) identified as White. By 2010, this proportion decreased to 83.67%. Meanwhile, the proportion of individuals identifying as Hispanic and Black under the surname Tanko saw significant increases. The percentage of Hispanic individuals rose by 36.26%, from 1.71% in 2000 to 2.33% in 2010. An even larger increase was seen in the Black community with the surname Tanko, with a growth of 57.58% from 7.19% in 2000 to 11.33% in 2010. No data was reported for Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities for either year.

20002010Change
White90.41%83.67%-7.45%
Black7.19%11.33%57.58%
Hispanic1.71%2.33%36.26%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%