2000
#8,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,549
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Karns
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "crane's nesting place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,038 Americans carry the last name Karns. That puts it at #8,918 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,882 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karns 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
4.0K
1 in 84,882
Census rank
#8,918
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,521 bearers of the surname Karns in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8918th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karns, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karns
The surname Karns has its origins in the Rhineland region of Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Karn," which means "edge" or "ridge," possibly referring to someone who lived near a prominent geographic feature or settled in a hilly area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karns can be found in the town records of Essen, dated 1578, where a certain Johann Karns is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many individuals bearing the Karns surname migrated from Germany to other parts of Europe and North America, seeking better opportunities or fleeing religious persecution. One notable example is Hans Karns, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1732 as part of the German Protestant migration to the British colonies.
In the United States, the Karns family played a significant role in the westward expansion and settlement of the frontier. Jacob Karns, born in 1789 in Virginia, was a renowned frontiersman and explorer who led expeditions into the Rocky Mountains and the Oregon Territory. His exploits were documented in various journals and historical accounts of the time.
Another prominent figure was Mary Karns, born in 1822 in Ohio, who became a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded several schools and was actively involved in the suffrage movement, campaigning for women's right to vote.
The name Karns has also been associated with several notable military figures throughout history. Captain John Karns, born in 1820 in Pennsylvania, served with distinction in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Gettysburg.
In the 20th century, one of the most recognizable names associated with the Karns surname was Ernest Karns, born in 1892 in Missouri. He was a pioneering aviator and aircraft designer, known for his contributions to the development of early passenger planes and his work with the U.S. Air Force during World War II.
While the Karns name has evolved and spread across various regions and cultures, its roots can be traced back to the Germanic regions of Central Europe, where it emerged as a distinct surname several centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karns
Among Census respondents with the surname Karns, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Karns 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 Karns surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 3,214
- Two or more races3.6% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 92
- Black or African American1.0% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karns
Karns 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
#8,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,133
+584 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 542 places
2020
#8,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,521
-612 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 915 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,545 | 3,549 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,003 | 4,133 | 1.40 | +584 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 542 places |
| 2020 | #8,918 | 3,521 | 1.18 | -612 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 915 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 Karns 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 | #8,003 | #8,918 | -11.4% |
| Count | 4,133 | 3,521 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.18 | -15.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karns bearers went from 4,133 to 3,521 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 915 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,003 to #8,918.
FAQ
Karns surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karns?
Name Census estimates that about 4,038 living Americans carry the surname Karns. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,882 residents.
How common is Karns?
Karns ranks #8,918 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,521 people with the surname Karns. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,038), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Karns.
Has Karns become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karns went from 4,133 recorded bearers to 3,521. That is a decrease of 612 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,003 to #8,918.
What does the Census say about the background of Karns?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karns, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Karns in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (3,214 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karns appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Karns (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 Karns mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "crane's nesting place." 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 Karns (1.18 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 last name Karns?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Karns, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.