The Janke surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,977 people carried this name — #8,330 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 74,100 people counted. That is down 2% from 4,062 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Janke surname

From the Low German and Dutch surname, from a pet form of Jan.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Janke» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Poland’s population register

800 people named Janke have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 974 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 15 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Greater Poland.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Greater Poland 187
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 170
Pomeranian 129
Masovian 86
Silesian 55
Warmian-Masurian 35
West Pomeranian 30
Lower Silesian 23

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

65 people named Janke live in Switzerland.

They live in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 10
Bern 10
Thurgau 7
Aargau 7
Lucerne 6
Ticino 6
St. Gallen 6
Basel-Stadt 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 24 people named Janke live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Misiones.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Misiones 24

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 21 people named Janke.

Most of them — 13 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Pas-de-Calais.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 13
Pas-de-Calais 3
Moselle 2
Haut-Rhin 2
Meuse 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

42 people named Janke is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 42

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Janke in American newspapers,
1912–1920.

Newspaper page from The Bridgeport Times And Evening Farmer carrying the name Janke
The Bridgeport Times And Evening Farmer 1920-08-11
Newspaper page from The Brookings Register carrying the name Janke
The Brookings Register 1912-08-01
Newspaper page from Wausau Pilot carrying the name Janke
Wausau Pilot 1913-05-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 6,921 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Janke in Australian newspapers,
1870s–1980s.

602 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Janke. The most, 144, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 478
South Australia 29
ACT (Canberra) 28
New South Wales 13
Victoria 5
Western Australia 2
Tasmania 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Janke.

Who carried it

People named Janke,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Gustav Janke
    Gustav Janke 1883–1959 · sport cyclist
  • Vincenz Janke 1769–1838 · visual artist
  • Otto Janke 1818–1887 · printer
  • Heinrich Janke 1823–1898 · economist
  • František Josef Janke 1848–1888 · playwright
  • Gustav Janke 1849–1901 · editing staff

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Janke,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States938 records

938 records of the Janke name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 606
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 114
  • Other U.S. records 218
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Marie I. Janke

    Born 1905 in Colorado. Enlisted 1946 in the Women's Army Corps at Denver; maid from Denver County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1993, buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Colorado.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Johanne Janke

    Arrived at Baltimore in 1866 aboard the Meridian from Bremen, aged 19; farmer. From Bremen, Prussia, Germany; bound for Wisconsin.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Theodore Janke

    Born 1946; from Salina, Kansas. U.S. Marine Corps, field radio operator; killed in action 1968 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 938 records for Janke in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany1,172 records

1,172 records of the Janke name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 1,165
  • German emigration and citizenship files 7
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Eduard Janke

    Born 1897; from Altweißtritz, Habelschwerdt. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 30 November 1918 (Foot Guards Regiment No. 2).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Christine Janke

    Emigrated to New York in 1858.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Johann Christian Janke

    Emigrated to Bavaria in 1825.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)

Showing 3 of 1,172 records for Janke in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Netherlands71 records

71 records of the Janke name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 55
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 12
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Olga Emilie Louise Janke

    Married in 1930 in Eindhoven. Died 1964 in Eindhoven.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record François Janke

    Died 1816 in Harderwijk, aged 31; sergeant.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Friedrich Janke

    In the population register of Nijmegen; carpenter, born 1855 in Solst.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Nijmegen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 71 records for Janke in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Australia48 records

48 records of the Janke name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 39
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 7
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 2
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Johann Janke

    Arrived in Queensland in 1879 aboard the Fritz Reuter, aged 29.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Leokadia Janke

    Of Wantirna, Victoria; died 1993.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Clara Janke

    Arrived in Queensland in 1885 aboard the Dorunda, aged 1.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 48 records for Janke in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Norway10 records

10 records of the Janke name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Gisle Janke

    Census of 1910: Stavang (Prestun), Kinn; "prest", born 1876 in Bejarn i Salten.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Clara Alice Janke

    Census of 1910: Grindereng, Løiten; born 1842 in Kristiania.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Arne Janke

    Census of 1910: Bakkegate, Kristiania; born 1907 in Løiten Hedemarken.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Janke in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada7 records

7 records of the Janke name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 6
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Colleen Elizabeth Janke

    Died 1953; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Arthur Janke

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Olga Janke

    Died 1917; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 7 records for Janke in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

France7 records

7 records of the Janke name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Carmen Janke

    Born 1906 in Yutz (Moselle); died 1992 in Joyeuse (Ardèche).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Erick Stanislaw Janke

    Born 1928 in Poland; died 2000 in Nanteuil-le-Haudouin (Oise).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Maria Catherine Erika Janke

    Born 1956 in Sommedieue; died 1997 in Sommedieue (Meuse).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Janke in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Janke name in the United Kingdom Stirling Council burial records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jozef Janke

    Died 1960, aged 36; buried at Kippen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Janke.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Janke is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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