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

Kanai, 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 Kanai surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kanai in America

Kanai is the 56836th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kanai surname appeared 359 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 Kanai.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kanai 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 Kanai

The surname KANAI is of Japanese origin, dating back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). It is believed to have originated from the region of Kanagawa Prefecture, near the city of Yokohama. The name is derived from the Japanese words "kana" meaning "metal" and "i" meaning "well" or "spring," suggesting a connection to metalworking or mining industries in the area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KANAI surname can be found in the "Azuma Kagami" (Mirror of the East), a historical chronicle compiled in the 14th century. It mentions a samurai warrior named KANAI Masatsura who fought in the Genpei War (1180-1185 CE) between the Minamoto and Taira clans.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE), the KANAI family was known to have held significant land and influence in the region around present-day Kanagawa Prefecture. Records from this era mention a KANAI Nobumitsu who served as a retainer to the powerful Hojo clan.

In the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), the KANAI surname was particularly prominent in the area around the town of Fujisawa, where they were landowners and influential members of the local community. One notable figure from this time was KANAI Yasunobu (1638-1714), a scholar and poet who contributed to the development of the haiku form.

Moving into the Meiji era (1868-1912 CE), KANAI Noburu (1865-1933) was a prominent educator and advocate for women's education. He founded several schools and played a key role in promoting literacy and educational opportunities for girls in Japan.

Another noteworthy individual with the KANAI surname was KANAI Shizuka (1899-1973), a celebrated actress of the early 20th century who starred in numerous kabuki and shinpa (new drama) productions. She was renowned for her portrayal of strong female characters and helped to popularize these theatrical forms.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kanai

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

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 Kanai 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 Kanai 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 Kanai was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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