2000
#2,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,570
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.40
Uncommon Last name
Kahn
A German surname derived from a byname referring to a boat or ferry operator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,320 Americans carry the last name Kahn. That puts it at #2,473 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,002 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kahn 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kahn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,002
Census rank
#2,473
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,232 bearers of the surname Kahn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2473rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kahn
The surname Kahn originated in the Indian subcontinent and is derived from the Persian word "Khan," which means "ruler" or "chief." This name has a long and rich history that can be traced back to the Mongol conquest of the region in the 13th century.
During this period, the Mongol rulers and their descendants were often referred to as "Khans," and this title eventually became a surname for their families and followers. The earliest recorded examples of the name Kahn can be found in Persian and Arabic manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the most famous historical figures with the surname Kahn was Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, who was born around 1162 CE. Another notable figure was Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who ruled from 1628 to 1658 CE and built the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, India.
As the Mongol and Persian influence spread across the Indian subcontinent, the name Kahn became more widespread and was adopted by various communities. In some regions, the name was also influenced by local languages and dialects, resulting in variations such as "Khan" or "Khaun."
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Kahn in a place name can be found in the town of Kahna, located in present-day Pakistan. This town was established in the 16th century and was likely named after a local ruler or chief with the surname Kahn.
Another notable individual with the surname Kahn was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, an Indian Muslim philosopher and social reformer who lived from 1817 to 1898 CE. He played a significant role in the educational and social reform movements in British India and was a prominent advocate for Muslim education.
In the realm of literature, one of the most renowned authors with the surname Kahn was Naguib Mahfouz, an Egyptian writer who was born in 1911 and died in 2006. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988 for his novels and short stories that explored the complexities of modern Egyptian society.
While the surname Kahn has its roots in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, it has since spread globally and can be found in various communities around the world. The name continues to carry a sense of nobility and leadership, reflecting its historical origins and the legacy of the Mongol and Persian rulers who first bore this title.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kahn 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 Kahn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.0% · 11,665
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.7% · 1,244
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 537
- Two or more races3.0% · 433
- Black or African American2.0% · 286
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kahn
Kahn 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
#2,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,584
+14 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 4.94
Rank movement Down 189 places
2020
#2,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,232
-352 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 4.76
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,284 | 14,570 | 5.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,473 | 14,584 | 4.94 | +14 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 189 places |
| 2020 | #2,473 | 14,232 | 4.76 | -352 bearers (-2.4%) | No rank change |
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 Kahn 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 | #2,473 | #2,473 | 0.0% |
| Count | 14,584 | 14,232 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.94 | 4.76 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kahn bearers went from 14,584 to 14,232 (-2.4% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #2,473.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kahn
FAQ
Kahn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kahn?
Name Census estimates that about 16,320 living Americans carry the surname Kahn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,002 residents.
How common is Kahn?
Kahn ranks #2,473 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,232 people with the surname Kahn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,320), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Kahn.
Has Kahn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kahn went from 14,584 recorded bearers to 14,232. That is a decrease of 352 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it stayed at #2,473.
What does the Census say about the background of Kahn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Kahn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (11,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kahn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.7%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Kahn (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 Kahn mean?
A German surname derived from a byname referring to a boat or ferry operator. 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 Kahn (4.76 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 Americans have the surname Kahn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.