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

Canary, 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 Canary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Canary in America

Canary is the 24288th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Canary surname appeared 1,033 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 Canary.

We can also compare 2010 data for Canary 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 Canary

The surname Canary originated in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago located off the northwest coast of Africa. The name first appeared around the 15th century when the islands were conquered and colonized by the Crown of Castile.

The name Canary is derived from the Latin phrase "Insulae Canariae," which translates to "Islands of Dogs." This name was given to the islands by the Romans, who encountered a breed of large dogs when they arrived there. Over time, the word "Canariae" evolved into the Spanish word "Canarias," which eventually became the name Canary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Canary can be found in the "Repartimiento de Tenerife" document, which dates back to 1506. This document recorded the distribution of land and property among the Spanish settlers on the island of Tenerife. Several individuals with the surname Canary were listed as landowners.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Canary surname began to spread beyond the archipelago as islanders migrated to other parts of the Spanish Empire. Notable individuals with this surname include Pedro Canary (1520-1590), a Spanish explorer who accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru, and Gaspar Canary (1550-1618), a Canarian-born poet and playwright who wrote in the Spanish Golden Age.

During the 18th century, the Canary surname appeared in various records and documents across Europe and the Americas. Juan Canary (1675-1745) was a Spanish navigator and cartographer who mapped several islands in the Caribbean. María Canary (1720-1795) was a renowned painter from the Canary Islands, known for her religious and portrait works.

In the 19th century, José Canary (1810-1885) was a prominent lawyer and politician from the Canary Islands who served as the president of the regional government. Another notable figure was Tomás Canary (1845-1912), a Canarian-born explorer who led several expeditions to the Amazon rainforest.

As the Canary surname spread globally, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Canari, Canarie, and Canario. These variations can be found in historical records and documents from different regions and time periods. Overall, the name Canary has a rich history rooted in the Spanish colonization of the Canary Islands and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Canary

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

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 Canary 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 Canary 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 Canary was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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