2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Calan
Of Welsh origin, meaning "slender, thin, or wiry person."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Calan. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calan 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Calan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.2%. The next largest groups are White (12.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calan
The surname Calan is believed to have originated in the region of Catalonia, Spain, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin name "Calanus," which itself may have roots in the ancient Greek word "kalos," meaning "beautiful."
The earliest known record of the name Calan can be found in the Catalonian Fogatge, a tax census dating back to the 14th century. In this document, several individuals with the surname Calan were listed as residents of various towns and villages in the region.
One notable historical figure bearing the Calan surname was Bernat Calan, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Barcelona during the 15th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative textile trade and owned several properties within the city walls.
In the 16th century, the name Calan appeared in the Cadastre, a land registry maintained by the Principality of Catalonia. Several entries list individuals with variations of the name, such as Calàn, Calán, and Calany, suggesting that spelling variations were common during this time.
As the Calan family expanded and migrated to other parts of Spain and beyond, their name took on various forms. For instance, in the 17th century, there are records of a Francisco Calán who was a renowned painter in Madrid, known for his religious works adorning churches throughout the city.
Another notable figure was Juan Calan, a military officer who fought in the Spanish War of Succession during the early 18th century. Born in 1678 in Valencia, he rose through the ranks and played a significant role in several battles, earning recognition for his bravery and strategic skills.
In the 19th century, the Calan surname gained prominence in the field of literature with the birth of Ramón Calan y Mallada, a celebrated Spanish poet and novelist. Born in 1842 in Zaragoza, his works often explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, earning him widespread acclaim during his lifetime.
While the surname Calan may have evolved and spread across various regions over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Catalonian region of Spain, where it first emerged as a distinct family name, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calan
Among Census respondents with the surname Calan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.2%. The next largest groups are White (12.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Calan 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 Calan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.2% · 100
- White12.9% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calan
Calan 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+14 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,404 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 13,404 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 Calan 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 | #158,432 | #145,028 | 8.5% |
| Count | 102 | 116 | 13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calan bearers went from 102 to 116 (+13.7% change). The surname moved up 13,404 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #145,028.
FAQ
Calan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calan?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Calan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Calan?
Calan ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Calan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Calan.
Has Calan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calan went from 102 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 14 (+13.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Calan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.2%. The next largest groups are White (12.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Calan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.2%), White (12.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Calan (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 Calan mean?
Of Welsh origin, meaning "slender, thin, or wiry person." 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 Calan (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 common is the surname Calan?
See how many people have the surname Calan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.