2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kanos
A surname with Greek origins meaning "of the cane" or "reed-like".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Kanos. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kanos 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Kanos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanos, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kanos
The surname KANOS is believed to have originated in Greece, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Greek word "kanos," which means "rule" or "standard." This suggests that the name might have been associated with a person who held a position of authority or acted as a lawmaker or judge.
One of the earliest known references to the KANOS surname can be found in the "Codex Coislinianus," a 7th-century Greek manuscript containing a collection of canonical texts. The name appears in a list of monastic officials, indicating a potential connection to the Eastern Orthodox Church.
In the 12th century, the KANOS name surfaced in the Byzantine Empire, with records mentioning a nobleman named Theodoros KANOS, who served as a high-ranking official under Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (1118-1180). This association with the imperial court suggests that the KANOS family held a prominent status during this time.
As the Byzantine Empire declined, some members of the KANOS family are believed to have migrated westward, settling in various parts of Europe. One notable figure was Georgios KANOS, a Greek scholar born in 1453 in Constantinople (now Istanbul), who fled to Italy after the fall of the Byzantine Empire. He became a renowned teacher of Greek language and literature, contributing to the Renaissance movement.
In the 16th century, the KANOS surname appeared in records from the Venetian Republic, where a merchant named Andrea KANOS was documented as conducting trade between Venice and the Greek islands. This suggests that the name had spread to other regions of the Mediterranean.
Another significant figure was Nikolas KANOS, a Greek philosopher and mathematician born in 1668 on the island of Chios. He gained recognition for his works on geometry and his contributions to the development of modern mathematics.
Throughout history, the KANOS surname has been associated with various professions, including scholars, clergy, merchants, and government officials. While the name originated in Greece, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kanos
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanos, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kanos 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 Kanos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 107
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kanos
Kanos 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,464 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,464 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,171 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 Kanos 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 | #145,220 | #142,049 | 2.2% |
| Count | 114 | 120 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kanos bearers went from 114 to 120 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,171 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,049.
FAQ
Kanos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kanos?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Kanos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Kanos?
Kanos ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Kanos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kanos.
Has Kanos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kanos went from 114 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Kanos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanos, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Kanos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kanos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Black (2.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Kanos (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 Kanos mean?
A surname with Greek origins meaning "of the cane" or "reed-like". 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 Kanos (0.04 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 Kanos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.