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

Kanakis, 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 Kanakis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kanakis in America

Kanakis is the 74608th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kanakis surname appeared 259 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 Kanakis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kanakis 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 Kanakis

The surname Kanakis originates from Greece and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word "kanakis," which means "little reed" or "small cane." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near a reed-covered area or worked with reeds or canes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kanakis can be found in a manuscript from the island of Crete, dated around 1472. The document mentions a man named Georgios Kanakis, who was a landowner in the village of Skouloufia.

In the 16th century, there are records of a family with the surname Kanakis living in the town of Nafplion, located in the Peloponnese region of Greece. This family is believed to have been involved in the production and trade of reed-based products, such as baskets and mats.

During the 17th century, the name Kanakis appeared in several historical records from the Greek island of Lesvos. One notable individual was Ioannis Kanakis, who lived from 1625 to 1698 and was a respected scholar and teacher in the town of Mytilene.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname Kanakis was Konstantinos Kanakis, born in 1745 in the village of Kalamata. He was a renowned soldier who fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1832).

Another significant individual with the Kanakis surname was Sophia Kanakis, born in 1820 in Athens. She was a philanthropist and educator who established several schools for underprivileged children in the city.

It is worth noting that variations of the spelling, such as Kanakes or Kanaki, can also be found in historical records, particularly in regions where the Greek language was influenced by other languages or dialects.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kanakis

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

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

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

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