2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kanthack
A surname of German origin meaning "tankard" or "pitcher".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kanthack. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kanthack 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kanthack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanthack, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kanthack
The surname Kanthack has its origins in the German language and is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 15th or 16th century. It likely originated from the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas near the North Sea coast.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the town of Kanten, located in the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name Kanthack is thought to be a derivative of the place name Kanten, with the addition of the German suffix "-hack," which may have indicated a connection to a particular location or occupation.
While the exact meaning of the surname is not entirely clear, some scholars suggest that it could be related to the Low German word "kant," meaning "edge" or "border," potentially referring to someone living near the edge of a town or settlement.
In the 16th century, a reference to the name Kanthack can be found in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and towns in Northern Europe. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have been involved in trade or mercantile activities during that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kanthack was Johann Kanthack, born in 1612 in the town of Stade, located in the northern German state of Lower Saxony. He was a merchant and trader who played a significant role in the economic life of the region.
Another notable figure was Friederike Kanthack, born in 1784 in Hannover, who was a renowned educator and advocate for women's education in the early 19th century. She established several schools for girls and worked tirelessly to promote educational opportunities for women.
In the field of medicine, the name Kanthack is associated with Walter de Waltere Kanthack, a British bacteriologist born in 1863 in Breslau, Prussia (now Wrocław, Poland). He made significant contributions to the understanding of infectious diseases and the role of bacteria in their spread.
The surname Kanthack also gained prominence in the literary world with the German-born British writer and critic John Kanthack, born in 1888 in Berlin. He was a influential figure in the early 20th century literary scene and was known for his critical essays on contemporary literature.
Another noteworthy individual was Theodor Kanthack, born in 1848 in Hannover, who was a renowned architect and urban planner. He designed several notable buildings and public spaces in Germany and played a crucial role in shaping the urban landscape of several cities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the surname Kanthack is not among the most common surnames today, it has a rich history and has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kanthack
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanthack, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kanthack 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 Kanthack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 9
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kanthack
Kanthack 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
+20 bearers (+16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 7,207 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-23 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | +20 bearers (+16.4%) | Up 7,207 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 21,198 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 Kanthack 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 | #121,590 | #142,788 | -17.4% |
| Count | 142 | 119 | -16.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kanthack bearers went from 142 to 119 (-16.2% change). The surname moved down 21,198 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kanthack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kanthack?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kanthack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kanthack?
Kanthack ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Kanthack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Kanthack.
Has Kanthack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kanthack went from 142 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 23 (-16.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kanthack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanthack, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Kanthack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kanthack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (7.6%), Two or More Races (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 Kanthack (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 Kanthack mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "tankard" or "pitcher". 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 Kanthack (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 people are called Kanthack?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kanthack? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.