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

Kann, 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 Kann surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kann in America

Kann is the 19671st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kann surname appeared 1,370 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 Kann.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kann 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 Kann

The surname KANN is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "kanne" which means "pitcher" or "jug." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who made or sold pitchers and jugs.

In the early 13th century, the surname KANN first appeared in various German records and manuscripts from the region of Bavaria. One of the earliest recorded examples of this name is found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Mellicensis, a medieval manuscript from the Melk Abbey in Lower Austria, which mentions a "Dietrich Kann" in the year 1238.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname KANN was particularly prevalent in the towns and villages around Munich, such as Landshut and Freising. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of this name were potters or ceramic artisans who specialized in the production of jugs and pitchers.

In the 16th century, the KANN surname appeared in the Reichsadelsmatrikel, a register of German nobility, indicating that some branches of the family had achieved noble status. One notable figure from this period was Johann Kann (1499-1564), a respected jurist and legal scholar from Nuremberg.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the KANN family extended their influence across the German-speaking lands, with members of the family holding positions of prominence in various cities and principalities. Notable individuals include:

1. Christoph Kann (1628-1697), a Lutheran theologian and pastor from Saxony.
2. Johann Friedrich Kann (1712-1786), a German composer and organist from Halle.
3. Georg Friedrich Kann (1744-1810), a German writer and poet from Mecklenburg.

In the 19th century, the KANN surname spread further across Europe as various family members migrated to other countries. One prominent individual was Karl Kann (1809-1876), an Austrian merchant and industrialist who established a successful textile business in Vienna.

Another notable figure from this era was Jakob Kann (1822-1902), a German-born architect who designed several iconic buildings in Budapest, Hungary, including the Hungarian State Opera House.

As families bearing the KANN surname continued to disperse across Europe and beyond, the name has been documented in various historical records and archives throughout the centuries, reflecting its enduring legacy as a surname of German origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kann

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

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

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

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