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

Cañas, 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 Cañas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cañas in America

Cañas is the 6937th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cañas surname appeared 4,832 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cañas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cañas 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 Cañas

The surname Canas has its origins in Spain and Portugal, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "canna," meaning "reed" or "cane." This association with reeds or cane plants suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals who lived near areas abundant with these plants or worked with them in some capacity.

In the early medieval records of the Iberian Peninsula, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Cañas," "Cannas," and "Canhas." These variations reflect the linguistic evolution and regional differences in pronunciation and orthography over time.

One of the earliest documented references to the name Canas can be found in the "Fuero de Sepúlveda," a 12th-century legal code from the town of Sepúlveda in the province of Segovia, Spain. This document mentions individuals bearing the surname Canas, indicating their presence in the region during that period.

Notable individuals with the surname Canas include Juan de Canas, a 15th-century Spanish nobleman and military commander who participated in the Reconquista, the Christian conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. Another prominent figure was Diego Canas, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico.

In Portugal, the name Canas is often associated with the town of Canas de Senhorim, located in the district of Viseu. This place name, which translates to "Canes of Senhorim," suggests a connection between the surname and the location, possibly indicating that the name originated from this area or was influenced by it.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Canas in Portugal was Pedro Canas, a 14th-century nobleman and landowner who held significant property in the region of Beira Alta.

Throughout history, the Canas surname has been carried by various notable individuals, including:

1. Francisco Canas, a 16th-century Spanish painter known for his works in the Renaissance style.
2. José Canas, a 19th-century Portuguese poet and writer who contributed to the Romantic literary movement.
3. Miguel Canas, a 20th-century Spanish architect renowned for his modernist designs in Barcelona.
4. Gaspar Canas, a 17th-century Spanish monk and theologian who authored several religious texts.
5. Alfredo Canas, a 20th-century Chilean lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies.

While the surname Canas has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has been adopted by individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cañas

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

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

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

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