2000
#6,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,894
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Karas
A nickname derived from the Turkish word "karaş," meaning "black eyebrows" or "dark-complexioned."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,172 Americans carry the last name Karas. That puts it at #7,137 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,271 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karas 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Karas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,271
Census rank
#7,137
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,510 bearers of the surname Karas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7137th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karas, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karas
The surname Karas has its origins in Lithuania and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Lithuanian word "kara," which means "war" or "battle." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was a warrior or soldier.
The earliest recorded instance of the Karas surname can be found in the Metrica of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a historical record of the Lithuanian nobility and gentry from the 15th to the 18th century. In these records, the name appears as "Karas" and "Karasius."
One notable individual bearing the Karas surname was Jonas Karalius (1561-1629), a Lithuanian nobleman and military leader who served as the Grand Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1619 to 1629. He played a crucial role in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's victory over the Swedish Empire in the Polish-Swedish War (1626-1629).
Another historical figure with the Karas surname was Mykolas Karas (1708-1782), a Lithuanian Catholic priest and philosopher. He was a prominent figure in the Lithuanian Enlightenment movement and is best known for his work "Aritmetikos praktika" (The Practice of Arithmetic), published in 1737.
In the 19th century, Antanas Karas (1838-1912) was a Lithuanian writer and publisher. He is remembered for his contributions to the development of Lithuanian literature and his efforts in promoting the Lithuanian language and culture.
The Karas surname can also be found in various place names throughout Lithuania. For instance, the village of Karasiškės, located in the Vilnius district, is believed to have derived its name from the Karas family who once resided there.
It is worth noting that the Karas surname has undergone some spelling variations over time, such as Karasius, Karasius, and Karašius. However, the predominant spelling remains Karas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karas
Among Census respondents with the surname Karas, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Karas 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 Karas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 4,221
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 122
- Two or more races2.2% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 39
- Black or African American0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karas
Karas 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
#5,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,858
+964 bearers (+19.7%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Up 516 places
2020
#7,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,510
-1,348 bearers (-23.0%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 1,247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,406 | 4,894 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,890 | 5,858 | 1.99 | +964 bearers (+19.7%) | Up 516 places |
| 2020 | #7,137 | 4,510 | 1.51 | -1,348 bearers (-23.0%) | Down 1,247 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 Karas 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 | #5,890 | #7,137 | -21.2% |
| Count | 5,858 | 4,510 | -23.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.99 | 1.51 | -24.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karas bearers went from 5,858 to 4,510 (-23.0% change). The surname moved down 1,247 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,890 to #7,137.
FAQ
Karas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karas?
Name Census estimates that about 5,172 living Americans carry the surname Karas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,271 residents.
How common is Karas?
Karas ranks #7,137 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,510 people with the surname Karas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Karas.
Has Karas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karas went from 5,858 recorded bearers to 4,510. That is a decrease of 1,348 (-23.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,890 to #7,137.
What does the Census say about the background of Karas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karas, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Karas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (4,221 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Karas (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 Karas mean?
A nickname derived from the Turkish word "karaş," meaning "black eyebrows" or "dark-complexioned." 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 Karas (1.51 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 Karas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.