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

Kanani, 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 Kanani surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kanani in America

Kanani is the 60347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kanani surname appeared 334 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 Kanani.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kanani 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 Kanani

The surname KANANI has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions of present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra. The name is believed to have emerged in the 15th or 16th century, derived from the Sanskrit word "kanan," meaning "forest" or "grove."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname KANANI can be found in historical documents and records from the medieval period in India. It is likely that the name was initially used to identify individuals who lived in or near forested areas, or those who worked in occupations related to forestry or woodcraft.

One of the earliest known references to the KANANI name can be found in a 16th-century tax record from the Mughal Empire, which listed a certain "Kanhaiyalal KANANI" as a landowner in the region of Surat, Gujarat. This document provides evidence of the surname's existence during that time period.

In the 17th century, the KANANI name appears in several Hindu religious texts and manuscripts, suggesting that individuals with this surname may have held positions of religious significance or been involved in spiritual pursuits.

Notable historical figures bearing the KANANI surname include Ranchhodbhai KANANI (1825-1890), a prominent social reformer and advocate for women's education in Gujarat, and Kanhaiyalal KANANI (1865-1942), a renowned poet and writer who contributed significantly to the literary traditions of the Gujarati language.

Other prominent individuals with the KANANI surname include Bhanushankar KANANI (1892-1965), a renowned scholar and linguist who specialized in the study of ancient Indian languages, and Rasiklal KANANI (1910-1980), a celebrated artist and painter whose works often depicted scenes from rural life in Gujarat.

The KANANI name can also be traced to several villages and towns in Gujarat, such as Kanani Village in the Navsari district and Kanani Taluka in the Valsad district, suggesting that the surname may have originated from these specific geographic locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kanani

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

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

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

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