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

Kanka, 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 Kanka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kanka in America

Kanka is the 91981st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kanka surname appeared 200 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 Kanka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kanka 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 Kanka

The surname Kanka is of Polish origin, emerging in the late 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "kanka," meaning "a small glass or cup." This connection suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation or trade involving glasswork or pottery.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kanka surname can be found in the Polish town of Krakow, where a certain Jan Kanka was mentioned in a local registry in 1492. The name also appeared in the nearby village of Biezanow, where a family by the name of Kanka resided in the 16th century.

During the Middle Ages, the Kanka surname was associated with several notable individuals. Marcin Kanka, a respected scholar and theologian, was born in Poznan in 1520. He later taught at the prestigious Jagiellonian University in Krakow and authored several influential works on religious philosophy.

In the 17th century, Jakub Kanka (1602-1672) was a renowned painter and illustrator from Warsaw. His intricate woodcuts and engravings adorned numerous books and manuscripts of the time, and his artwork can still be found in various Polish museums and galleries.

Another prominent figure bearing the Kanka name was Stanislaw Kanka (1720-1789), a Polish nobleman and military officer who served in the armies of King Augustus III. He participated in several campaigns against the Ottoman Empire and was awarded several honors for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.

The Kanka surname also has ties to certain place names in Poland. For instance, the village of Kankowa, located near the city of Rzeszow, is believed to have derived its name from the Kanka family that once resided there. Similarly, the town of Kanki in the Lublin region may have originated from a similar source.

Throughout its history, the Kanka surname has been spelled in various ways, including Kanko, Kanka, and Kankow. However, the modern spelling of Kanka has become the most widely accepted and recognized form of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kanka

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

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

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

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