Find out how popular the last name Kanya is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kanya.

Kanya, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kanya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kanya in America

Kanya is the 104156th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kanya surname appeared 172 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kanya.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kanya to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kanya

The surname KANYA has its origins in India, where it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 10th century CE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "kanya," which means "young woman" or "virgin." It is likely that the surname was initially given to individuals or families associated with certain professions or social roles related to unmarried women or the concept of virginity.

In ancient Indian texts and records, such as the Vedas and Puranas, there are references to various deities, mythological figures, and characters with names that include the word "kanya." One notable example is the goddess Kanya, who is associated with fertility and is depicted as a young, unmarried woman. This connection suggests that the surname KANYA may have had religious or cultural significance in its early origins.

The earliest known recorded instances of the surname KANYA can be traced back to various medieval inscriptions and manuscripts from different regions of India. For example, there are mentions of individuals with the surname KANYA in temple inscriptions from the 12th century CE in present-day Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Over the centuries, the surname KANYA has been associated with several notable individuals throughout Indian history. One prominent figure was Kanya Narayanan, a 16th-century Indian mathematician and astronomer from Kerala, who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry (1530-1615). Another was Kanya Rajan, a 17th-century Indian ruler of the Madurai Nayak dynasty in Tamil Nadu (1623-1659).

In the realm of literature, Kanya Lal Nandan (1834-1891) was a renowned Hindi poet and writer from Uttar Pradesh, known for his contributions to the Braj Bhasha literary tradition. Additionally, Kanya Kumari (1858-1922) was a prominent Indian social reformer and activist from Tamil Nadu, who advocated for women's education and fought against social evils like child marriage.

It is worth noting that the surname KANYA has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations in India. For instance, Kanyakumari, a town in Tamil Nadu, derives its name from the Sanskrit words "kanya" and "kumari," referring to the concept of a virgin maiden. There are also several villages and towns across different states that incorporate the word "kanya" in their names, potentially indicating a historical connection to the surname or its associated meanings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kanya

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kanya.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kanya was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kanya has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kanya was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kanya, please contact us.

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