2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kany
A surname possibly derived from the German word "Kanne" meaning jug or pitcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Kany. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kany 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Kany in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kany, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kany
The surname KANY originated in the region of Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. It first appeared in historical records during the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old Czech word "kana", which means a small jug or pitcher.
In the village of Kanovice, located in the southern part of Bohemia, several families with the surname KANY were recorded in the 15th century. This suggests that the name may have originated from this particular location. The earliest known record of the surname KANY dates back to 1427, when a man named Jan KANY was mentioned in a land registry document.
The KANY surname did not appear in the famous Domesday Book, which was a survey of land ownership in England compiled in 1086. However, there are references to the name in other historical documents from various parts of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname KANY was Ondřej KANY, who lived in the city of Prague during the late 16th century. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his name is mentioned in several business transactions and property records from that time period.
Another notable figure with the KANY surname was Jakub KANY (1592-1668), a Czech Protestant minister and writer. He authored several religious texts and was a vocal advocate for religious tolerance during the turbulent times of the Thirty Years' War.
In the 18th century, a man named František KANY (1718-1789) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and craftsman. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by wealthy patrons across Central Europe.
During the 19th century, a Czech artist named Antonín KANY (1831-1892) gained acclaim for his landscape paintings, which captured the beauty of the Bohemian countryside. His works are now part of several prestigious art collections in the Czech Republic.
Another notable bearer of the KANY surname was Karel KANY (1865-1932), a Czech architect and urban planner. He designed several prominent buildings in Prague and played a significant role in shaping the city's modern architectural landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kany
Among Census respondents with the surname Kany, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kany 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 Kany surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 72
- Black or African American15.2% · 16
- Two or more races7.6% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kany
Kany 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
#120,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
+10 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 543 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-39 bearers (-27.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 32,802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,187 | 144 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 543 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -39 bearers (-27.1%) | Down 32,802 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 Kany 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 | #120,187 | #152,989 | -27.3% |
| Count | 144 | 105 | -27.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -29.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kany bearers went from 144 to 105 (-27.1% change). The surname moved down 32,802 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,187 to #152,989.
FAQ
Kany surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kany?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Kany. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Kany?
Kany ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Kany. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Kany.
Has Kany become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kany went from 144 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 39 (-27.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,187 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Kany?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kany, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (7.6%). 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 Kany in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (72 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kany appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.6%), Black (15.2%), Two or More Races (7.6%). 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 Kany (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 Kany mean?
A surname possibly derived from the German word "Kanne" meaning jug 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 Kany (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 common is the surname Kany?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Kany, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.