Find out how popular the last name Kalniņš is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kalniņš.

Kalniņš, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kalniņš surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kalniņš in America

Kalniņš is the 61297th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kalniņš surname appeared 328 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kalniņš.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kalniņš to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kalniņš

The surname KALNINS has its origins in Latvia, a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is a Latvian name that dates back several centuries, with the earliest known records appearing in the 16th century.

KALNINS is derived from the Latvian word "kalns," which means "hill" or "mountain." This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near or on a hill or in a hilly region.

In historical records, the name KALNINS can be found in various forms and spellings, such as Kalniņš, Kalnins, Kalninsch, and Kalnin, reflecting the variations in local dialects and scribal interpretations.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name KALNINS can be found in the "Latvian Chronicles," a collection of historical documents dating back to the 13th century. The chronicles reference a prominent figure named Pēteris Kalnins, who was a landowner and local leader in the Vidzeme region of Latvia during the late 16th century.

Another notable figure bearing the KALNINS surname was Jānis Kalnins, a Latvian poet and writer who lived from 1804 to 1864. He is celebrated for his contributions to Latvian literature and for his efforts in preserving the Latvian language and culture during a time of Russian dominance.

In the 19th century, the name KALNINS gained prominence through the work of Kristaps Kalnins, a Latvian architect who lived from 1858 to 1930. He is best known for designing several iconic buildings in Riga, the capital of Latvia, including the National Theater and the Art Nouveau-style Apartment Building on Alberta Street.

Another notable figure was Pēteris Kalnins, a Latvian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Latvia from 1924 to 1925. He played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations between Latvia and other nations during the early years of Latvia's independence.

Lastly, Gustavs Kalnins, born in 1917 and deceased in 1998, was a Latvian-American artist and sculptor. He is renowned for his large-scale public sculptures, many of which can be found in cities across the United States, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.

Throughout its history, the surname KALNINS has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from landowners and poets to architects, politicians, and artists. While its origins can be traced back to the hills and mountains of Latvia, the name has since spread worldwide, carried by Latvian emigrants and their descendants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kalniņš

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kalniņš.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kalniņš was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kalniņš has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kalniņš was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kalniņš, please contact us.

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