2000
#10,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,918
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Kagan
A Jewish surname derived from the Russian word "kagan," meaning "leader" or "ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,297 Americans carry the last name Kagan. That puts it at #10,625 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kagan 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
3.3K
1 in 103,959
Census rank
#10,625
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,875 bearers of the surname Kagan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10625th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kagan
The surname Kagan has its origins in the Turkish and Mongolian languages, tracing back to the Khagan title used by the rulers of nomadic Turkic and Mongolian tribes in Central Asia during the medieval period. The word "Khagan" is derived from the Old Turkic "Kağan" or "Qaghan," meaning "Khan of Khans" or "Great Khan."
The Kagan surname is believed to have emerged among Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland, Ukraine, and Russia, where Jewish families often adopted surnames based on their occupations, locations, or personal characteristics. It is possible that the name Kagan was initially adopted by individuals or families with connections to the Khagan title or Central Asian regions.
Historical records indicate that the Kagan surname appears in various manuscripts and documents from the 16th century onwards. One notable example is the mention of the Kagan family in the Metrical Register of the Kahal Kadosh of Lublin, Poland, dated 1564-1569.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the Kagan surname is Yehuda Leib Kagan, a prominent Talmudic scholar and author who lived in the late 18th century in Vilna, Lithuania. Another notable figure is David Kagan, a 19th-century Hebrew writer and poet from Galicia, a historical region spanning parts of modern-day Poland and Ukraine.
Throughout history, several individuals with the Kagan surname have made significant contributions in various fields. These include:
1. Yisroel Meir Kagan (1838-1933), also known as the Chofetz Chaim, a renowned Talmudic scholar and author from Belarus.
2. Joseph Kagan (1858-1937), a Russian-American banker and philanthropist who helped establish the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
3. Solomon Kagan (1858-1925), a prominent Zionist leader and writer from Lithuania.
4. Velvel Kagan (1885-1971), a Yiddish writer and educator from Ukraine.
5. Matvey Petrovich Kagan (1888-1937), a Soviet physicist and professor at Moscow State University.
The surname Kagan has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as the town of Kaganovichi in Belarus, which may have derived its name from the Kagan surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kagan
Among Census respondents with the surname Kagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kagan 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 Kagan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,682
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 81
- Two or more races2.0% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 30
- Black or African American0.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kagan
Kagan 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
#10,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,925
+7 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 739 places
2020
#10,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,875
-50 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,152 | 2,918 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,891 | 2,925 | 0.99 | +7 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 739 places |
| 2020 | #10,625 | 2,875 | 0.96 | -50 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 266 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 Kagan 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 | #10,891 | #10,625 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,925 | 2,875 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.96 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kagan bearers went from 2,925 to 2,875 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 266 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,891 to #10,625.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kagan
FAQ
Kagan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kagan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,297 living Americans carry the surname Kagan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,959 residents.
How common is Kagan?
Kagan ranks #10,625 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,875 people with the surname Kagan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Kagan.
Has Kagan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kagan went from 2,925 recorded bearers to 2,875. That is a decrease of 50 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,891 to #10,625.
What does the Census say about the background of Kagan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,682 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kagan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Kagan (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 Kagan mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Russian word "kagan," meaning "leader" or "ruler." 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 Kagan (0.96 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 have the surname Kagan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.