2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Karvounis
A Greek surname derived from the word "karvouno" meaning charcoal or coal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Karvounis. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karvounis 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Karvounis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karvounis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karvounis
The surname Karvounis is of Greek origin, deriving from the Greek word "karvouno" which means "charcoal." This suggests that the name may have originated from an occupation or trade related to charcoal production or handling.
The name is believed to have originated in the region of Peloponnese in southern Greece, particularly in the areas around the city of Kalamata. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century in historical records and manuscripts from this region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Nikolaos Karvounis, a merchant and landowner who lived in the village of Arfara, near Kalamata, in the late 16th century. Records show that he owned several vineyards and olive groves in the area.
In the 18th century, the name appears in church records from the village of Nea Koroni, near Kalamata, with the mention of a family named Karvounis who were prominent members of the local community.
During the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829), a notable figure named Petros Karvounis (1785-1853) served as a guerilla fighter and played a significant role in the liberation of the Peloponnese region from Ottoman rule.
Another individual of note was Konstantinos Karvounis (1820-1895), a scholar and educator who established several schools in the Peloponnese region and was instrumental in promoting education during the early years of the modern Greek state.
In the 20th century, Ioannis Karvounis (1902-1987) was a prominent politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece in the 1960s.
While the name Karvounis is primarily associated with Greece, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to Greek migration and diaspora communities. However, the origins and historical records of the name can be traced back to the Peloponnese region of southern Greece.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karvounis
Among Census respondents with the surname Karvounis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Karvounis 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 Karvounis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karvounis
Karvounis 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-6 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,730 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 3,730 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 Karvounis 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 | #150,452 | #154,182 | -2.5% |
| Count | 109 | 103 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karvounis bearers went from 109 to 103 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 3,730 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,182.
FAQ
Karvounis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karvounis?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Karvounis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Karvounis?
Karvounis ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Karvounis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Karvounis.
Has Karvounis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karvounis went from 109 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Karvounis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karvounis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Karvounis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karvounis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (5.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Karvounis (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 Karvounis mean?
A Greek surname derived from the word "karvouno" meaning charcoal or coal. 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 Karvounis (0.03 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 Karvounis?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.