2000
#9,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Kania
A Polish surname derived from the word "kania," meaning a bird of prey, such as a kite or hawk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,159 Americans carry the last name Kania. That puts it at #11,027 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kania 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kania with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,501
Census rank
#11,027
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,755 bearers of the surname Kania in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11027th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kania, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kania
The surname Kania is of Polish origin, derived from the Slavic word "kania" meaning "kite" or "buzzard". It was likely initially used as a nickname for someone with a keen eye or sharp vision, akin to a bird of prey.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century in the historical region of Lesser Poland. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in medieval tax records and property registries from towns like Krakow and Tarnow.
In the 15th century, the name Kania was mentioned in the Akta Grodzkie, a series of court records from the town of Nowy Sacz. These records document legal proceedings and property transactions involving individuals with the Kania surname.
One notable individual bearing the name was Jan Kania, a Polish military commander who fought against the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. He was praised for his bravery and tactics on the battlefield.
Another historically significant figure was Stanislaw Kania (1509-1573), a renowned Polish Renaissance poet and playwright. His works were influential in shaping the development of Polish literature and theater during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Kania surname was found in church records from the village of Wieliczka, near Krakow. These records document births, marriages, and deaths within the local Kania family.
The name Kania has also been associated with several place names in Poland, such as the village of Kanina in the Opole region and the town of Kaniewska in the Lodz province. These places likely derived their names from early Kania settlers or landowners.
Other notable individuals with the Kania surname include Kazimierz Kania (1856-1929), a Polish painter and art educator, and Stanislaw Kania (1927-2020), a Polish communist politician who briefly served as the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party from 1980 to 1981.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kania
Among Census respondents with the surname Kania, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kania 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 Kania surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,555
- Two or more races2.9% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 32
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kania
Kania 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
#8,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,092
+981 bearers (+31.5%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 1,483 places
2020
#11,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,755
-1,337 bearers (-32.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 2,925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,585 | 3,111 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,102 | 4,092 | 1.39 | +981 bearers (+31.5%) | Up 1,483 places |
| 2020 | #11,027 | 2,755 | 0.92 | -1,337 bearers (-32.7%) | Down 2,925 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 Kania 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 | #8,102 | #11,027 | -36.1% |
| Count | 4,092 | 2,755 | -32.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 0.92 | -33.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kania bearers went from 4,092 to 2,755 (-32.7% change). The surname moved down 2,925 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,102 to #11,027.
FAQ
Kania surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kania?
Name Census estimates that about 3,159 living Americans carry the surname Kania. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,501 residents.
How common is Kania?
Kania ranks #11,027 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,755 people with the surname Kania. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Kania.
Has Kania become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kania went from 4,092 recorded bearers to 2,755. That is a decrease of 1,337 (-32.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,102 to #11,027.
What does the Census say about the background of Kania?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kania, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Kania in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,555 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kania appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Kania (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 Kania mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "kania," meaning a bird of prey, such as a kite or hawk. 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 Kania (0.92 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 many Americans have the surname Kania?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.