2000
#17,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,508
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Canez
A Spanish surname derived from the word "caña" meaning sugar cane or reed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,125 Americans carry the last name Canez. That puts it at #15,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Canez 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
2.1K
1 in 161,296
Census rank
#15,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,853 bearers of the surname Canez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Canez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Canez
The surname CANEZ has its origins in Spain, and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "caña," meaning "reed" or "cane," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near areas abundant with reeds or were involved in trades related to cane or reed products.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CANEZ name can be found in the "Becerro de Behetrias" manuscript, a 13th-century document that recorded the villages and landholdings in the region of Castile. This document mentions a certain Rodrigo Canez, who was a landowner in the village of Villanueva de Canez in the province of Burgos.
During the 14th century, the CANEZ name gained prominence in the region of Andalusia, particularly in the city of Seville. A notable figure from this period was Pedro Canez, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived between 1320 and 1385. Historical records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative trade of exporting silk and spices to other parts of Europe.
In the 15th century, the CANEZ surname appeared in the historical records of the city of Granada, which had been under Moorish rule until its conquest by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492. One of the earliest recorded instances was Juan Canez, a prominent architect who was commissioned to design several buildings and fortifications in the city between 1480 and 1525.
The 16th century saw the spread of the CANEZ name to the Americas, as Spanish colonists and explorers brought their surnames to the New World. One notable figure from this period was Diego Canez, a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was born in Seville in 1495 and died in Mexico City in 1567.
Another prominent individual bearing the CANEZ surname was Catalina Canez, a woman of noble birth who lived in the city of Cartagena, Colombia, in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. She was known for her philanthropic work and her efforts in establishing educational institutions for the local population.
As the centuries passed, the CANEZ name continued to be found in various parts of Spain, as well as in the Spanish colonies and territories across the Americas and the Philippines. While the spelling and pronunciation may have evolved over time, the surname's origins can be traced back to its Spanish roots and the historical significance it held in regions such as Castile, Andalusia, and Granada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Canez
Among Census respondents with the surname Canez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Canez 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 Canez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.0% · 1,668
- White7.3% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 19
- Two or more races0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Canez
Canez appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,874
+366 bearers (+24.3%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,682 places
2020
#15,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,853
-21 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 352 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,282 | 1,508 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,600 | 1,874 | 0.64 | +366 bearers (+24.3%) | Up 1,682 places |
| 2020 | #15,248 | 1,853 | 0.62 | -21 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 352 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 Canez 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 | #15,600 | #15,248 | 2.3% |
| Count | 1,874 | 1,853 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.62 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Canez bearers went from 1,874 to 1,853 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 352 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,600 to #15,248.
FAQ
Canez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Canez?
Name Census estimates that about 2,125 living Americans carry the surname Canez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,296 residents.
How common is Canez?
Canez ranks #15,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,853 people with the surname Canez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Canez.
Has Canez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Canez went from 1,874 recorded bearers to 1,853. That is a decrease of 21 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,600 to #15,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Canez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Canez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Canez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,668 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Canez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.0%), White (7.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Canez (2000, 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 Canez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "caña" meaning sugar cane or reed. 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 Canez (0.62 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 Canez?
If you just want to know how common the surname Canez is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.