2000
#5,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Karnes
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "cairn" or "pile of stones" in Old Norse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,907 Americans carry the last name Karnes. That puts it at #6,349 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,025 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karnes 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
5.9K
1 in 58,025
Census rank
#6,349
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,151 bearers of the surname Karnes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6349th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karnes
The surname Karnes originated in Scotland, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be a variant of the Scottish surname Cairns, which itself derives from the Gaelic word "carn," meaning "cairn" or "rocky hill."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Karnes surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the Karnes family held some degree of prominence or land ownership during that time.
In the 16th century, the Karnes surname appeared in various records, such as parish registers and property deeds, indicating that the family had established a foothold in various regions of Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and the Lowlands.
A notable historical figure bearing the Karnes surname was John Karnes (1572-1648), a Scottish minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Pathway to Paradise" and "The Godly Man's Delight." His writings were influential during the Scottish Reformation.
Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Karnes (1628-1702), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Scotland. He was known for his involvement in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which ushered in the reign of William III and Mary II.
In the 18th century, the Karnes surname gained further prominence with the birth of Henry Home, Lord Karnes (1696-1782), a Scottish philosopher, judge, and writer. He was a leading figure of the Scottish Enlightenment and authored several influential works, including "Essays on the Principles of Morality and Natural Religion" and "Sketches of the History of Man."
James Karnes (1784-1865), a Scottish-born American pioneer and soldier, played a significant role in the settlement of Texas. He founded the town of Gonzales and participated in the Texas Revolution, serving as a colonel in the Texas Army.
The Karnes surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Cairnhill, a village in East Ayrshire, and Cairnie, a parish in Aberdeenshire. These place names likely share the same linguistic roots as the surname, reflecting the connection between the family and the land they inhabited.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karnes
Among Census respondents with the surname Karnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Karnes 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 Karnes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 4,721
- Two or more races3.4% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 146
- Black or African American1.1% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karnes
Karnes 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
#5,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,333
+948 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Up 395 places
2020
#6,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,151
-1,182 bearers (-18.7%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 855 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,889 | 5,385 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,494 | 6,333 | 2.15 | +948 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 395 places |
| 2020 | #6,349 | 5,151 | 1.72 | -1,182 bearers (-18.7%) | Down 855 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 Karnes 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 | #5,494 | #6,349 | -15.6% |
| Count | 6,333 | 5,151 | -18.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 1.72 | -19.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karnes bearers went from 6,333 to 5,151 (-18.7% change). The surname moved down 855 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,494 to #6,349.
FAQ
Karnes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karnes?
Name Census estimates that about 5,907 living Americans carry the surname Karnes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,025 residents.
How common is Karnes?
Karnes ranks #6,349 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 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 5,151 people with the surname Karnes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,907), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 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 Karnes.
Has Karnes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karnes went from 6,333 recorded bearers to 5,151. That is a decrease of 1,182 (-18.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,494 to #6,349.
What does the Census say about the background of Karnes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Karnes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (4,721 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karnes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Karnes (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 Karnes mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "cairn" or "pile of stones" in Old Norse. 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 Karnes (1.72 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 have the surname Karnes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.