2000
#39,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 517
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Kanno
A Japanese surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 586 Americans carry the last name Kanno. That puts it at #45,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 584,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kanno 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
586
1 in 584,905
Census rank
#45,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
511
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 511 bearers of the surname Kanno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanno, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.9%) and Two or More Races (11.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kanno
The surname Kanno originated in Japan, tracing its roots back to the 8th century CE. It is believed to have derived from the Japanese words "kan" meaning "cold" and "no" meaning "field" or "plain." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in a cold, open area.
In ancient Japanese records, the first recorded use of the name Kanno can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, a historical chronicle from the 8th century. The name appears in reference to a court official named Kanno no Yoshiki, who served during the reign of Emperor Shomu.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the Kanno family rose to prominence as samurai warriors and landowners in the Kanto region of eastern Japan. One notable figure from this era was Kanno Yoshitsune, a skilled military strategist who played a crucial role in the Gempei War between the Taira and Minamoto clans.
In the 14th century, a branch of the Kanno family migrated to the island of Kyushu, where they established themselves as influential landowners and merchants. The Kanno clan's influence in this region is documented in the Nairi-ki, a collection of historical records from the Muromachi period (1336-1573).
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Kanno was Kanno Mitsumasa (1476-1549), a renowned painter and calligrapher who was instrumental in the development of the Kano school of Japanese painting. His works, which often depicted landscapes and nature scenes, were highly sought after by the nobility and samurai class.
Another notable Kanno was Kanno Nagatomo (1611-1668), a prominent Confucian scholar and educator during the Edo period (1603-1868). He established a renowned academy in Kyoto, where he taught principles of ethics, governance, and classical literature to the sons of samurai families.
In more recent history, Kanno Sugako (1881-1976) was a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in Japan. She founded one of the country's first private girls' schools and played a crucial role in promoting women's education and empowerment during the Meiji and Taisho eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kanno
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanno, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.9%) and Two or More Races (11.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kanno 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 Kanno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander58.1% · 297
- White21.9% · 112
- Two or more races11.0% · 56
- Black or African American4.7% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kanno
Kanno 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
#41,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 530
+13 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 1,154 places
2020
#45,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 511
-19 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 4,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,946 | 517 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,100 | 530 | 0.18 | +13 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 1,154 places |
| 2020 | #45,147 | 511 | 0.17 | -19 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 4,047 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 Kanno 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 | #41,100 | #45,147 | -9.8% |
| Count | 530 | 511 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kanno bearers went from 530 to 511 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 4,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,100 to #45,147.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kanno
FAQ
Kanno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kanno?
Name Census estimates that about 586 living Americans carry the surname Kanno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 584,905 residents.
How common is Kanno?
Kanno ranks #45,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 511 people with the surname Kanno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (586), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Kanno.
Has Kanno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kanno went from 530 recorded bearers to 511. That is a decrease of 19 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #41,100 to #45,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Kanno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanno, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.9%) and Two or More Races (11.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kanno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.1% (297 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kanno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (58.1%), White (21.9%), Two or More Races (11.0%). 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 Kanno (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 Kanno mean?
A Japanese surname derived from a place name. 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 Kanno (0.17 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 Kanno?
Find out how many people have the last name Kanno on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.