2000
#105,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Kahne
A German/Jewish occupational surname derived from the word "Kahn" meaning a boat or ship.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 192 Americans carry the last name Kahne. That puts it at #111,996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,785,179 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kahne 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
192
1 in 1,785,179
Census rank
#111,996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
167
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 167 bearers of the surname Kahne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 111996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahne, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kahne
The surname KAHNE originates from Germany and is believed to have been derived from the Old High German word "channa," which means "pot" or "vessel." This name likely referred to an occupation or trade related to pottery or metalworking in the early medieval period.
The earliest known record of the KAHNE surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. It was initially spelled as "Kanne" or "Kahn," with variations in spelling occurring over time due to regional dialects and scribal errors.
One notable historical reference to the KAHNE name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis," a compilation of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 14th century. This record mentions a certain "Johannes Kanne" in an official document from the year 1375.
In the 16th century, the KAHNE surname appeared in the town of Neustadt an der Waldnaab in Bavaria, where a family of potters and metalworkers resided. This connection to the name's occupational roots is evident in the town's records from that era.
A prominent figure bearing the KAHNE surname was Johann Kahne (1549-1615), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany. He served as a pastor in Nuremberg and actively participated in religious debates and discussions of his time.
Another notable individual was Friedrich Kahne (1777-1854), a German lawyer and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the field of criminal law. He served as a professor at the University of Berlin and authored several influential works on legal theory and practice.
In the 19th century, the KAHNE surname gained recognition through the achievements of August Kahne (1823-1897), a German botanist and horticulturist who specialized in the study of ferns and orchids. He made important contributions to the classification and cultivation of these plant species.
Ernst Kahne (1870-1942) was a German architect and urban planner who played a key role in the development of modern urban planning principles. He worked on several large-scale housing projects and designed notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
Additionally, the KAHNE surname has been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Kahnsdorf, a village in Saxony-Anhalt, and Kahnefeld, a former municipality in Thuringia, which may have derived their names from individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kahne
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahne, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kahne 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 Kahne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.8% · 165
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kahne
Kahne 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
#104,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
+15 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 1,218 places
2020
#111,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
-5 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 7,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #105,374 | 157 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #104,156 | 172 | 0.06 | +15 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 1,218 places |
| 2020 | #111,996 | 167 | 0.06 | -5 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 7,840 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 Kahne 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 | #104,156 | #111,996 | -7.5% |
| Count | 172 | 167 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kahne bearers went from 172 to 167 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 7,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #104,156 to #111,996.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kahne
FAQ
Kahne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kahne?
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the surname Kahne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,785,179 residents.
How common is Kahne?
Kahne ranks #111,996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 167 people with the surname Kahne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (192), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Kahne.
Has Kahne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kahne went from 172 recorded bearers to 167. That is a decrease of 5 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #104,156 to #111,996.
What does the Census say about the background of Kahne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahne, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Kahne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.8% (165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kahne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Kahne (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 Kahne mean?
A German/Jewish occupational surname derived from the word "Kahn" meaning a boat or ship. 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 Kahne (0.06 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 Kahne?
See how common the surname Kahne is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.