2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kashishian
Of Armenian origin, likely referring to a person from the place Kashi.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Kashishian. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kashishian 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Kashishian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kashishian, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kashishian
The surname KASHISHIAN is of Armenian origin and dates back to the medieval period, specifically the 11th to 14th centuries. It is believed to have originated from the Armenian word "kashish," which means "wood" or "timber," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have been involved in the timber or woodworking trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KASHISHIAN surname can be found in the Armenian Chronicles of the 13th century, where a certain Mkhitar Kashishian is mentioned as a skilled carpenter who worked on the construction of churches and monasteries in the region of Cilicia, which was then part of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Armenia experienced a period of oppression under Ottoman rule, which led to a significant Armenian diaspora. Many Armenians, including those bearing the KASHISHIAN surname, fled to various parts of Europe and the Middle East, resulting in the widespread dispersal of the name.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named Karekin Kashishian (1722-1795) emerged as a prominent Armenian scholar and clergyman. He was a renowned linguist and played a crucial role in the preservation and promotion of the Armenian language and literature during that time.
Another notable individual with the KASHISHIAN surname was Garegin Kashishian (1864-1931), an Armenian-American author and poet who wrote extensively on Armenian history and culture. He was a influential figure in the Armenian literary circles of the early 20th century.
In the 19th century, a family by the name of KASHISHIAN settled in the city of Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey), where they established a successful business in the timber trade. The family's prominence in the region was such that a neighborhood in Smyrna was named "Kashishian Mahallesi" (Kashishian Neighborhood) after them.
During the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923, many members of the KASHISHIAN family were among the victims, leading to further dispersal of the surname across the world as survivors sought refuge in various countries.
Despite the tragic events of the genocide, the KASHISHIAN name has persisted, and individuals bearing this surname can be found in Armenian communities around the globe, particularly in the United States, Canada, France, and the Middle East.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kashishian
Among Census respondents with the surname Kashishian, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kashishian 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 Kashishian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kashishian
Kashishian 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,303 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 5,303 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,525 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 Kashishian 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 | #141,140 | #148,665 | -5.3% |
| Count | 118 | 111 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kashishian bearers went from 118 to 111 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #148,665.
FAQ
Kashishian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kashishian?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Kashishian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Kashishian?
Kashishian ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Kashishian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Kashishian.
Has Kashishian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kashishian went from 118 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Kashishian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kashishian, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Kashishian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kashishian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (2.7%). 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 Kashishian (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 Kashishian mean?
Of Armenian origin, likely referring to a person from the place Kashi. 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 Kashishian (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 common is the surname Kashishian?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Kashishian at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.