2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kallan
Of Scottish origin, meaning "cove" or "narrow inlet of the sea".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Kallan. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kallan 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Kallan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kallan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kallan
The surname Kallan has its origins in the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden. Tracing back to the Middle Ages, the name is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "kall," which meant "man" or "fellow." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a nickname or a descriptive name.
In the early medieval period, the name Kallan was found primarily in the coastal regions of Norway and western Sweden, where Norse influence was strong. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents from the 12th century, where a person named Kallan Eriksson is mentioned.
The name Kallan also has connections to certain place names in Scandinavia. For example, the village of Kallands in southern Sweden likely took its name from the Old Norse word "kalland," meaning "rocky land." It is possible that some individuals with the surname Kallan may have originally hailed from or held ties to this area.
As the name spread beyond Scandinavia, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. In some regions, the name was recorded as Kallen, Kalan, or Kallin. One notable individual with this name was Nils Kallan, a Swedish military officer and explorer who lived from 1675 to 1742. He is remembered for his expeditions to the Arctic regions and for mapping parts of Siberia.
Another prominent figure with the surname Kallan was the Norwegian writer and poet Nils Kallen (1887-1976), whose works explored themes of rural life and nature. In the United Kingdom, the name can be found in records dating back to the 18th century, likely brought by Scandinavian immigrants or traders.
Over time, individuals with the surname Kallan have made their mark in various fields. One notable example is the Finnish architect Oiva Kallio (1884-1964), whose modernist designs had a significant influence on the architectural landscape of Helsinki. Another is the Swedish artist Siri Kallan (1911-2007), known for her abstract expressionist paintings and printmaking.
While the surname Kallan may have evolved and spread across different regions, its roots can be traced back to the rugged landscapes of medieval Scandinavia, where it was likely borne by individuals with ties to the land and its people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kallan
Among Census respondents with the surname Kallan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kallan 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 Kallan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.5% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kallan
Kallan 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-17 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,819 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 22,819 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,346 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 Kallan 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 | #143,149 | #146,495 | -2.3% |
| Count | 116 | 114 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kallan bearers went from 116 to 114 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #146,495.
FAQ
Kallan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kallan?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Kallan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Kallan?
Kallan ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Kallan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Kallan.
Has Kallan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kallan went from 116 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Kallan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kallan, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kallan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kallan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Kallan (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 Kallan mean?
Of Scottish origin, meaning "cove" or "narrow inlet of the sea". 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 Kallan (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 are called Kallan?
See how many people have the last name Kallan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.