2000
#10,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Kan
A Chinese surname meaning "sweet" or "generous," or a Turkish surname referring to a khan or ruler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,692 Americans carry the last name Kan. That puts it at #9,644 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,837 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kan 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 Kan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,837
Census rank
#9,644
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,220 bearers of the surname Kan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9644th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kan
The surname KAN is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically from the Sanskrit language. The name is derived from the word "Kana," which means "small" or "little." It is thought to have been used as a descriptive surname, referring to a person's physical stature or possibly as a nickname for someone who was younger or smaller in age.
The earliest known references to the KAN surname can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts from around the 5th century AD. The name appears in various forms, such as Kana, Kanaka, and Kanika, which were common names used in different regions of India during that time period.
One notable historical figure with the KAN surname was Kan Singh, a 16th-century Rajput warrior and ruler of the Marwar region in present-day Rajasthan, India. He was born in 1501 and is renowned for his military campaigns and for strengthening the defenses of his kingdom.
Another prominent individual with the KAN surname was Kanhaiya Lal Kan, a 19th-century Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary. He was born in 1844 and played a significant role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company.
In the literary world, Kanhaiya Lal Srivastava, better known by his pen name Kan, was a respected Hindi poet and writer who lived from 1908 to 1987. His works addressed social issues and the struggles of the common people.
The KAN surname has also been found in historical records from other parts of Asia, such as Nepal and Myanmar. One notable figure was Kan Tun, a 13th-century Burmese monarch who ruled the Pagan Kingdom, now part of modern-day Myanmar. He was born in 1230 and is credited with expanding the kingdom's territories and promoting Buddhist culture.
Additionally, the KAN surname has been associated with various place names in India, such as Kanpur, a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, and Kanakapura, a town in the state of Karnataka. These place names may have influenced the surname or vice versa, reflecting the connection between surnames and geographical locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kan
Among Census respondents with the surname Kan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kan 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 Kan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander80.7% · 2,600
- White10.6% · 342
- Two or more races4.8% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 76
- Black or African American1.4% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kan
Kan 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
#10,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,005
+300 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 169 places
2020
#9,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,220
+215 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 1,003 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,816 | 2,705 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,647 | 3,005 | 1.02 | +300 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 169 places |
| 2020 | #9,644 | 3,220 | 1.08 | +215 bearers (+7.2%) | Up 1,003 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 Kan 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 | #10,647 | #9,644 | 9.4% |
| Count | 3,005 | 3,220 | 7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 1.08 | 5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kan bearers went from 3,005 to 3,220 (+7.2% change). The surname moved up 1,003 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,647 to #9,644.
FAQ
Kan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,692 living Americans carry the surname Kan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,837 residents.
How common is Kan?
Kan ranks #9,644 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,220 people with the surname Kan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,692), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kan.
Has Kan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kan went from 3,005 recorded bearers to 3,220. That is an increase of 215 (+7.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,647 to #9,644.
What does the Census say about the background of Kan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (2,600 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (80.7%), White (10.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Kan (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 Kan mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "sweet" or "generous," or a Turkish surname referring to a khan or ruler. 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 Kan (1.08 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 have the surname Kan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.