Find out how popular the last name Callas is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Callas.

Callas, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Callas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Callas in America

Callas is the 18977th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Callas surname appeared 1,437 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Callas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Callas to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Callas

The surname Callas has its origins in Greece, dating back to the Byzantine Empire of the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Greek word "kallos," which means "beauty" or "beautiful." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was considered particularly attractive or graceful.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Callas can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the Greek island of Crete, where a monk named Ioannis Callas is mentioned. It is believed that the name may have originated in this region and then spread to other parts of Greece and the Greek diaspora.

During the Renaissance period, the name Callas appears in various documents and records from Venice, Italy, where a significant Greek community had settled. In the 16th century, a prominent Venetian merchant named Georgios Callas is mentioned in trade records, indicating the family's involvement in commerce and trade.

The name Callas gained further recognition in the 18th century with the birth of Maria Callas (1923-1977), the legendary Greek-American opera singer celebrated for her bel canto technique and interpretations of iconic roles such as Tosca and Norma. Her extraordinary talent and stage presence contributed to the global recognition of the Callas name.

Another notable figure with the surname Callas was Evangelos Callas (1896-1979), a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Greece from 1965 to 1967. He played a significant role in Greek politics during a turbulent period of the country's history.

In the realm of literature, the name Callas is associated with the Greek-American writer Harry Mark Petrakis (1923-2021), whose novel "A Dream of Kings" features a character named Callas. Petrakis explored themes of Greek-American identity and the immigrant experience in his works.

The Callas surname can also be traced back to the island of Lesbos, where it is believed to have originated from the village of Kallonas. This connection suggests a possible link between the name Callas and the ancient Greek city of Kallonis, which was located on the island.

While the name Callas has Greek roots, it has spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this surname found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and parts of Europe, reflecting the Greek diaspora's migration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Callas

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Callas.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Callas was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Callas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Callas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Callas, please contact us.

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