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

Honkanen, 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 Honkanen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Honkanen in America

Honkanen is the 82044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Honkanen surname appeared 230 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 Honkanen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Honkanen 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 Honkanen

The surname HONKANEN is of Finnish origin, traced back to the late 16th century. It originated from the southern regions of Finland, where it was derived from the Finnish word "honka," meaning pine tree. The name likely referred to an individual who lived near or worked with pine trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the HONKANEN name appears in a 1598 census record from the town of Rauma, where a farmer named Pekka Honkanen was listed among the local residents. The name was also found in church records from the 17th century in the municipalities of Pori and Tampere.

During the 18th century, the HONKANEN surname began appearing in various historical documents and records across southwestern Finland. In 1723, a merchant named Antti Honkanen was mentioned in a trade agreement between the cities of Turku and Stockholm. Later, in 1789, a landowner named Kaisa Honkanen was recorded in a property deed from the village of Kankaanpää.

Notably, the HONKANEN surname has been associated with several influential figures throughout Finnish history. One such individual was Juho Honkanen (1822-1892), a renowned poet and author who played a significant role in the Finnish language revival movement during the 19th century.

Another notable bearer of the HONKANEN name was Aino Honkanen (1882-1967), a pioneering female architect who designed several prominent buildings in Helsinki, including the Swedish Theatre and the Finnish National Theatre.

In the field of sports, Lauri Honkanen (1908-1990) was a successful athlete who won a bronze medal in the decathlon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He later became a respected coach and sports administrator.

The HONKANEN surname has also been associated with individuals in the fields of politics and academia. Mikko Honkanen (1890-1971) served as a member of the Finnish Parliament for over two decades, representing the Agrarian League party.

Finally, Eero Honkanen (1925-2003) was a distinguished linguist and professor at the University of Helsinki, renowned for his contributions to the study of Finnish and Finno-Ugric languages.

While the HONKANEN surname has its roots in Finland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and global connections, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Honkanen

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

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

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

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