2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kakalia
An uncommon Greek surname potentially derived from the word "kakos" meaning "bad" or "evil."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Kakalia. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kakalia 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Kakalia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kakalia, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.9%) and Hispanic (9.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kakalia
The surname Kakalia has its origins in the Mediterranean region, specifically in Greece. This name can be traced back to the 15th century, when it was derived from the Greek word "kakon," meaning "evil" or "misfortune." It is believed that the name was initially given to individuals who were associated with misfortune or bad luck.
The earliest recorded instance of the Kakalia surname can be found in a manuscript from the island of Crete, dating back to the year 1472. This document mentions a certain Petros Kakalia, who was a merchant and landowner in the town of Rethymno.
During the 16th century, the Kakalia name appeared in several historical records from the Greek mainland. One notable mention was in a tax register from the city of Athens, listing a family headed by Ioannis Kakalia, who was a prominent artisan and member of the local guild.
In the 17th century, the Kakalia surname spread to other parts of the Mediterranean region, including Italy and Turkey. One notable example is Georgios Kakalia, a Greek scholar and philosopher who lived from 1635 to 1702. He was known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature and his teachings at the prestigious Patriarchal School in Istanbul.
Another significant figure with the Kakalia surname was Alexandros Kakalia, a military commander who fought in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century. Born in 1785 on the island of Chios, he led a resistance movement and played a crucial role in several battles before his death in 1835.
In the 20th century, a prominent bearer of the Kakalia name was Nikolaos Kakalia, a Greek politician and diplomat. Born in 1896 in Athens, he served as a member of the Greek parliament and later as the ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1947 to 1951.
While the Kakalia surname is relatively uncommon outside of Greece and the Mediterranean region, it has a rich historical background and has been carried by notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kakalia
Among Census respondents with the surname Kakalia, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.9%) and Hispanic (9.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kakalia 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 Kakalia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander64.0% · 71
- Two or more races18.9% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 11
- White6.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kakalia
Kakalia 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+13 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,690 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-8 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,508 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 3,690 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 8,508 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 Kakalia 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 | #140,157 | #148,665 | -6.1% |
| Count | 119 | 111 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kakalia bearers went from 119 to 111 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 8,508 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #148,665.
FAQ
Kakalia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kakalia?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Kakalia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Kakalia?
Kakalia ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Kakalia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Kakalia.
Has Kakalia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kakalia went from 119 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Kakalia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kakalia, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (18.9%) and Hispanic (9.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kakalia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.0% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kakalia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (64.0%), Two or More Races (18.9%), Hispanic (9.9%). 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 Kakalia (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 Kakalia mean?
An uncommon Greek surname potentially derived from the word "kakos" meaning "bad" or "evil." 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 Kakalia (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 Americans have the surname Kakalia?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.