2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cabanlit
A geographical surname referring to someone who resided in a small house or cabin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Cabanlit. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cabanlit 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Cabanlit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabanlit, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and White (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cabanlit
The surname Cabanlit is believed to have originated from the Philippines. It is a Hispanized version of a Tagalog or Visayan word, likely derived from the root words "kabang" or "kabang-lit," which refer to a small boat or canoe.
In the Philippines, surnames were adopted during the Spanish colonial period in the 16th to 19th centuries. Many indigenous Filipino names were Hispanized, either by translating their meanings or by adding Spanish suffixes like "-es" or "-ez" to the original words.
The earliest recorded instances of the Cabanlit surname can be found in historical documents from the Spanish colonial era, such as church records and census records from various provinces in the Philippines.
One notable individual with the Cabanlit surname was Gregorio Cabanlit, a Filipino revolutionary who fought against the Spanish colonial government in the late 19th century. He was born in 1868 in Batangas province and participated in the Philippine Revolution of 1896-1898.
Another historical figure was Teodoro Cabanlit, a Filipino writer and poet who lived from 1892 to 1948. He was known for his works in Tagalog and Spanish, and was a prominent figure in the early 20th-century literary scene in the Philippines.
In the early 20th century, a man named Agustin Cabanlit was a prominent educator and administrator in the Philippine public school system. He served as a principal and district supervisor in various schools in Manila and nearby provinces.
During the Second World War, a Filipino soldier named Emilio Cabanlit was part of the guerrilla resistance against the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. He fought alongside American and Filipino forces and was recognized for his bravery and service.
Another notable individual with the Cabanlit surname was Maria Cabanlit, a Filipino artist and sculptor who lived from 1914 to 2002. Her works were exhibited in various galleries and museums in the Philippines and abroad, and she was recognized for her contributions to the Philippine art scene.
While the Cabanlit surname is primarily found in the Philippines, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the indigenous languages and cultures of the Philippine islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cabanlit
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabanlit, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and White (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cabanlit 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 Cabanlit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.0% · 96
- Two or more races6.2% · 7
- White4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cabanlit
Cabanlit appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-13 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,358 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 13,358 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 Cabanlit 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 | #133,863 | #147,221 | -10.0% |
| Count | 126 | 113 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cabanlit bearers went from 126 to 113 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 13,358 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #147,221.
FAQ
Cabanlit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cabanlit?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Cabanlit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Cabanlit?
Cabanlit ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Cabanlit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Cabanlit.
Has Cabanlit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cabanlit went from 126 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Cabanlit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabanlit, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and White (4.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cabanlit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cabanlit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.0%), Two or More Races (6.2%), White (4.4%). 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 Cabanlit (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 Cabanlit mean?
A geographical surname referring to someone who resided in a small house or cabin. 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 Cabanlit (0.04 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 Cabanlit?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.