Kanger last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Kanger

A surname of uncertain origin, possibly deriving from an occupational term or geographic name.

Kanger, 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 Kanger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kanger in America

Kanger is the 141140th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kanger surname appeared 118 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 Kanger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kanger 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank14114011895417.06%
Count118135-13.44%
Proportion per 100k0.040.05-22.22%

The history of the last name Kanger

The surname Kanger has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Old German word "kanger," which referred to a type of container or vessel used for carrying liquids. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to someone whose profession involved the production or use of such vessels.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kanger can be found in the historical records of the city of Cologne, where a certain Heinrich Kanger is mentioned in a document from the year 1327. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the 14th century.

In the centuries that followed, the Kanger surname spread to various other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. Notable bearers of the name include Johannes Kanger, a prominent theologian and philosopher who lived in the 16th century, and Hans Kanger, a respected painter from the city of Nuremberg who was active in the early 17th century.

The name Kanger also appears in some of the earliest records of German immigration to the Americas. For example, a family by the name of Kanger is listed among the settlers who arrived in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century, having fled religious persecution in their homeland.

Another individual of note bearing the Kanger surname is Wilhelm Kanger, a renowned logician and mathematician who was born in Estonia in 1919. His work on modal logic and deontic logic earned him international recognition, and he held academic positions at several prestigious universities throughout his career.

One of the earliest recorded variations of the name is "Kengir," which can be found in a 15th-century manuscript from the region of Bavaria. This spelling likely reflects the local dialect of the time and highlights the fluidity of surname spellings in the pre-modern era.

While the Kanger surname is relatively uncommon compared to some other German names, it has left its mark on history through the contributions of individuals from various walks of life, ranging from scholars and artists to skilled tradespeople and early settlers in the New World.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kanger

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

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 Kanger was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only88.14%104
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races7.63%9
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Kanger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White88.14%86.67%1.68%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.00%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%5.93%-200.00%
Two or More Races7.63%5.93%25.07%
Hispanic(S)%0.00%(S)%

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

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

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