2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kadash
A Jewish surname derived from the Hebrew word "kadosh" meaning "holy" or "consecrated."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Kadash. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kadash 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Kadash in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kadash, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kadash
The surname Kadash is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of ancient Mesopotamia, which includes modern-day Iraq, parts of Iran, Syria, and Turkey. The name is thought to derive from the Aramaic word "qaddish," which means "holy" or "sacred."
One of the earliest known references to the name Kadash can be found in ancient Babylonian cuneiform records dating back to the 6th century BCE. These records mention individuals with the name "Kadash" or variations such as "Kadishu" and "Qadash."
During the Byzantine era, around the 5th century CE, there are mentions of individuals with the name Kadash in Greek and Syriac manuscripts from regions like Syria and Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). This suggests that the name had spread to various parts of the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean.
In the 9th century CE, a prominent figure named Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Kadash al-Baghdadi, a renowned scholar and philosopher from Baghdad, is recorded in historical texts. He made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and mathematics.
Another notable individual with the surname Kadash was Rabbi Judah Kadash, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in Spain during the 12th century. He is known for his work on Jewish law and philosophy, and his writings had a significant influence on subsequent Jewish scholars.
During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over parts of the Middle East and Eastern Europe from the 14th to the early 20th century, there are records of individuals with the surname Kadash living in regions like Anatolia and the Levant. Some of these individuals may have been descendants of earlier bearers of the name or may have adopted the name due to its religious connotations.
It is worth noting that the surname Kadash has also been found in various spellings and variations, such as Qadash, Kadish, and Kadesh, depending on the language and region in which it was recorded.
While the surname Kadash is not as common today as it may have been in ancient times, it continues to be found among various communities and ethnic groups with roots in the Middle East, particularly those with Jewish, Arabic, or Aramaic cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kadash
Among Census respondents with the surname Kadash, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kadash 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 Kadash surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kadash
Kadash appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+14 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,533 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 12,533 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 Kadash 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 | #156,044 | #143,511 | 8.0% |
| Count | 104 | 118 | 13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kadash bearers went from 104 to 118 (+13.5% change). The surname moved up 12,533 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #143,511.
FAQ
Kadash surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kadash?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Kadash. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Kadash?
Kadash ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Kadash. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kadash.
Has Kadash become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kadash went from 104 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 14 (+13.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Kadash?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kadash, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kadash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kadash appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Kadash (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 Kadash mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Hebrew word "kadosh" meaning "holy" or "consecrated." 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 Kadash (0.04 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 many people share the surname Kadash?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.