2000
#7,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Kangas
A Finnish toponymic surname derived from the word "kangas," meaning a heath, moor, or sandy area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,845 Americans carry the last name Kangas. That puts it at #7,579 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kangas 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
4.8K
1 in 70,744
Census rank
#7,579
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,225 bearers of the surname Kangas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7579th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kangas, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kangas
The surname Kangas originated in Finland during the 16th century. It is derived from the Finnish word "kangas," which means "forest" or "heath." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived in or near forested areas or heaths.
Kangas is a relatively common surname in Finland, particularly in the central and western regions of the country. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in parish records and tax rolls from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
One notable early reference to the Kangas name is in the Porvoo Court Records from 1623, which mention a man named Matti Kangas who was involved in a property dispute. Additionally, the Turku Cathedral Records from 1647 list the marriage of Jaakko Kangas and Kaarina Juhonintytär.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Kangas surname began to spread beyond Finland as members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and North America. One prominent Finnish-American bearer of the name was Väinö Alfred Kangas (1886-1957), a businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Ashtabula, Ohio, from 1925 to 1927.
Other notable individuals with the Kangas surname include:
1. Eero Kangas (1906-1987), a Finnish cross-country skier who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics.
2. Jaakko Kangas (1890-1979), a Finnish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland from 1946 to 1948.
3. Marianne Kangas (born 1962), a Swedish author and journalist.
4. Teuvo Kangas (1908-1991), a Finnish long-distance runner who won the silver medal in the 10,000 meters at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
5. Väinö Kangas (1888-1957), a Finnish-born American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Ashtabula, Ohio.
While the Kangas surname is most prevalent in Finland and among Finnish diaspora communities, it has also been found in various parts of Europe and North America due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kangas
Among Census respondents with the surname Kangas, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kangas 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 Kangas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 3,883
- Two or more races3.0% · 128
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 42
- Black or African American0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kangas
Kangas 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
#7,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,776
+599 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Up 334 places
2020
#7,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,225
-551 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 566 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,347 | 4,177 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,013 | 4,776 | 1.62 | +599 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 334 places |
| 2020 | #7,579 | 4,225 | 1.41 | -551 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 566 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 Kangas 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 | #7,013 | #7,579 | -8.1% |
| Count | 4,776 | 4,225 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.41 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kangas bearers went from 4,776 to 4,225 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 566 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,013 to #7,579.
FAQ
Kangas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kangas?
Name Census estimates that about 4,845 living Americans carry the surname Kangas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,744 residents.
How common is Kangas?
Kangas ranks #7,579 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 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 4,225 people with the surname Kangas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,845), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 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 Kangas.
Has Kangas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kangas went from 4,776 recorded bearers to 4,225. That is a decrease of 551 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,013 to #7,579.
What does the Census say about the background of Kangas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kangas, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Kangas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,883 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kangas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Kangas (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 Kangas mean?
A Finnish toponymic surname derived from the word "kangas," meaning a heath, moor, or sandy area. 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 Kangas (1.41 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 Kangas?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Kangas is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.