2010
#63,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Kanneh
A locational surname derived from the town of Kanneh in eastern India.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 641 Americans carry the last name Kanneh. That puts it at #41,891 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 534,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kanneh 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
641
1 in 534,718
Census rank
#41,891
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
559
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 559 bearers of the surname Kanneh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41891st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanneh, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kanneh
The surname "KANNEH" is of West African origin, specifically from the regions of modern-day Sierra Leone and Liberia. It likely emerged during the early to mid-18th century, derived from the Mende word "kahn" or "kan," meaning "noble" or "warrior."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the archives of the British West African Company, which administered trade and colonial affairs in the region during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A document from 1785 mentions a "Kanneh Bundu," a prominent figure in the Mende chiefdom of Bundu.
As the transatlantic slave trade intensified in the 18th and 19th centuries, many individuals bearing the name Kanneh were forcibly transported to the Americas, particularly to the Caribbean islands and the United States. Historical records from the period show instances of the name in various spellings, such as "Canah," "Kanah," and "Kaneh."
Notable individuals with the surname Kanneh include:
1. Bai Bureh Kanneh (c. 1840-1898), a Temne chief who led an uprising against British colonial rule in Sierra Leone.
2. Thomas Kanneh (1866-1919), a Sierra Leonean merchant and businessman who played a significant role in the development of the colony's economy.
3. Ami Kanneh (1895-1977), a Liberian educator and women's rights activist who founded the Liberian Women's National Association.
4. Issa Kanneh (1923-2002), a Sierra Leonean diplomat and politician who served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1970s.
5. Amara Kanneh (b. 1970), a Sierra Leonean-British author and journalist known for her works on African literature and culture.
While the name Kanneh has its roots in West Africa, it has since spread globally through migration and diaspora communities. Variations of the spelling, such as "Kannah" and "Kaneh," can be found in various parts of the world, reflecting the diverse journeys and histories of those who bear the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kanneh
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanneh, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kanneh 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 Kanneh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.7% · 524
- White3.0% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 7
- Two or more races1.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kanneh
Kanneh appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#41,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 559
+243 bearers (+76.9%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 21,327 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #63,218 | 316 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #41,891 | 559 | 0.19 | +243 bearers (+76.9%) | Up 21,327 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 Kanneh 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 | #63,218 | #41,891 | 33.7% |
| Count | 316 | 559 | 76.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.19 | 70.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kanneh bearers went from 316 to 559 (+76.9% change). The surname moved up 21,327 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,218 to #41,891.
FAQ
Kanneh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kanneh?
Name Census estimates that about 641 living Americans carry the surname Kanneh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 534,718 residents.
How common is Kanneh?
Kanneh ranks #41,891 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 559 people with the surname Kanneh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (641), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Kanneh.
Has Kanneh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kanneh went from 316 recorded bearers to 559. That is an increase of 243 (+76.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #63,218 to #41,891.
What does the Census say about the background of Kanneh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanneh, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kanneh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (524 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kanneh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (93.7%), White (3.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Kanneh (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 Kanneh mean?
A locational surname derived from the town of Kanneh in eastern India. 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 Kanneh (0.19 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 people are called Kanneh?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Kanneh at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.