2000
#82,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Kanka
A Croatian surname meaning "relative" or "kin".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 220 Americans carry the last name Kanka. That puts it at #100,469 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,557,974 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kanka 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
220
1 in 1,557,974
Census rank
#100,469
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
192
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 192 bearers of the surname Kanka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100469th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanka, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kanka
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanka, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kanka 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 Kanka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 175
- Two or more races4.7% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kanka
Kanka 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
#91,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
-13 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 9,637 places
2020
#100,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 192
-8 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 8,488 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #82,344 | 213 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,981 | 200 | 0.07 | -13 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 9,637 places |
| 2020 | #100,469 | 192 | 0.06 | -8 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 8,488 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 Kanka 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 | #91,981 | #100,469 | -9.2% |
| Count | 200 | 192 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kanka bearers went from 200 to 192 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 8,488 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,981 to #100,469.
FAQ
Kanka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kanka?
Name Census estimates that about 220 living Americans carry the surname Kanka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,557,974 residents.
How common is Kanka?
Kanka ranks #100,469 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 192 people with the surname Kanka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (220), 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 Kanka.
Has Kanka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kanka went from 200 recorded bearers to 192. That is a decrease of 8 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #91,981 to #100,469.
What does the Census say about the background of Kanka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanka, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Kanka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kanka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Kanka (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 Kanka mean?
A Croatian surname meaning "relative" or "kin". 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 Kanka (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 many Americans have the surname Kanka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.