2000
#92,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 184
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Kanellis
Of Greek origin, meaning "cinnamon" or "cinnamon tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 213 Americans carry the last name Kanellis. That puts it at #102,982 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,609,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kanellis 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.
Bearers in the US
213
1 in 1,609,175
Census rank
#102,982
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
186
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 186 bearers of the surname Kanellis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 102982nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanellis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kanellis
The surname Kanellis has its origins in Greece, where it first emerged in the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period. It is derived from the Greek word "kanella," which means "cinnamon," likely referring to someone involved in the trade or cultivation of this valuable spice.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a merchant's ledger from the island of Chios, dated around 1460, which mentions a "Nikolas Kanellis" as a supplier of cinnamon and other spices. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the Aegean region by that time.
As the Kanellis family spread across the Greek mainland and islands, variations in spelling arose, such as Kanellos, Kanellopulos, and Kanellakis. These variations often indicated different branches of the family or regional dialects.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Georgios Kanellis was a renowned scholar and translator of ancient Greek texts. He was born in Crete in 1501 and spent much of his life in Venice, where he collaborated with notable humanists of the time.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Konstantinos Kanellis, a Greek naval officer and revolutionary who played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century. He was born in 1792 on the island of Hydra and fought valiantly in several naval battles.
During the Byzantine era, the name Kanellis can be found in various historical documents and chronicles, particularly those related to trade and commerce in the Mediterranean region. For instance, a merchant named Ioannis Kanellis is mentioned in a Venetian trade agreement with the Byzantine Empire in the 12th century.
In more recent times, notable individuals with the surname Kanellis include Maria Kanellis, an American professional wrestler and actress born in 1982, and Giorgos Kanellis, a Greek professional basketball player born in 1990.
Throughout its history, the surname Kanellis has maintained a strong connection to its Greek roots and the spice trade, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and maritime traditions of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kanellis
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanellis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kanellis 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 Kanellis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 172
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 7
- Two or more races3.8% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kanellis
Kanellis 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
#95,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 190
+6 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 3,354 places
2020
#102,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 186
-4 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 7,027 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #92,601 | 184 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #95,955 | 190 | 0.06 | +6 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 3,354 places |
| 2020 | #102,982 | 186 | 0.06 | -4 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 7,027 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 Kanellis 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 | #95,955 | #102,982 | -7.3% |
| Count | 190 | 186 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | 3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kanellis bearers went from 190 to 186 (-2.1% change). The surname moved down 7,027 positions in the national ranking, going from #95,955 to #102,982.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kanellis
FAQ
Kanellis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kanellis?
Name Census estimates that about 213 living Americans carry the surname Kanellis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,609,175 residents.
How common is Kanellis?
Kanellis ranks #102,982 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 186 people with the surname Kanellis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kanellis.
Has Kanellis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kanellis went from 190 recorded bearers to 186. That is a decrease of 4 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #95,955 to #102,982.
What does the Census say about the background of Kanellis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanellis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kanellis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kanellis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Kanellis (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 Kanellis mean?
Of Greek origin, meaning "cinnamon" or "cinnamon tree." 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 Kanellis (0.06 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 common is the surname Kanellis?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Kanellis at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.