2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Karhan
A Turkish surname derived from the Persian word "karavan" meaning caravan or traveler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Karhan. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karhan 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Karhan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karhan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karhan
The surname KARHAN is believed to have originated in the Central Asian region, specifically in the area known as Turkestan, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Turkic language, possibly from the words "kar" meaning "snow" and "han" meaning "ruler" or "leader." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a ruling or influential figure from a snowy or mountainous region.
The earliest known references to the name KARHAN can be traced back to the 13th century, when it appeared in records and manuscripts documenting the travels and conquests of the Mongol Empire. One notable mention is found in the chronicles of the Persian historian Rashid al-Din, who documented the life of Genghis Khan and his descendants.
In the 14th century, the name KARHAN was recorded in the Codex Cumanicus, a linguistic guide written in the Kingdom of Hungary, which included a list of Turkic personal names and their meanings. This further solidifies the Central Asian origins of the surname.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname KARHAN was Karhan Beg, a military commander who served under the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh in the early 15th century. Karhan Beg played a prominent role in the conquest of the region of Khwarazm and was known for his bravery and strategic acumen.
Another notable figure was Karhan Khan, a ruler of the Chagatai Khanate, a descendant empire of the Mongols, in the late 15th century. Karhan Khan was renowned for his efforts to maintain the unity of the Khanate and for his patronage of the arts and literature.
In the 16th century, the name KARHAN was found in Ottoman records, suggesting that individuals bearing this surname had migrated from Central Asia to the territories of the Ottoman Empire. One such individual was Karhan Mustafa Pasha, a high-ranking Ottoman military commander who participated in the conquest of Cyprus in the late 16th century.
The surname KARHAN was also present in the Persian-speaking regions of Central Asia, as evidenced by the existence of Karhan Mirza, a notable poet and calligrapher who lived in the city of Herat (modern-day Afghanistan) during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the KARHAN surname appeared in the records of the Russian Empire, possibly indicating the migration of Central Asian populations into the territories of modern-day Russia and Kazakhstan. One notable bearer of the name was Karhan Bey, a Kazakh nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the resistance against the Russian conquest of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karhan
Among Census respondents with the surname Karhan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Karhan 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 Karhan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karhan
Karhan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+12 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 13,021 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 Karhan 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 | #160,975 | #147,954 | 8.1% |
| Count | 100 | 112 | 12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karhan bearers went from 100 to 112 (+12.0% change). The surname moved up 13,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #147,954.
FAQ
Karhan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karhan?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Karhan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Karhan?
Karhan ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Karhan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Karhan.
Has Karhan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karhan went from 100 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 12 (+12.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Karhan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karhan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Karhan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karhan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (7.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Karhan (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 Karhan mean?
A Turkish surname derived from the Persian word "karavan" meaning caravan or traveler. 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 Karhan (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 Karhan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Karhan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.