2000
#24,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 971
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Kassa
A locational surname indicating someone from a place called Kassa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,725 Americans carry the last name Kassa. That puts it at #12,466 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,781 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kassa 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
2.7K
1 in 125,781
Census rank
#12,466
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,376 bearers of the surname Kassa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12466th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassa, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.1%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kassa
The surname "KASSA" is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Iran and surrounding areas. Its roots can be traced back to the 9th century AD, during the Islamic Golden Age.
The name is derived from the Arabic word "khazzan," which means "treasurer" or "keeper of the treasury." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been individuals who held positions of financial or administrative responsibility in the courts or governments of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "KASSA" can be found in a 10th-century manuscript detailing the lives of prominent scholars and officials in the city of Baghdad. The document mentions a man named Ahmad ibn Abbas al-Kassa, who served as a respected judge and legal scholar during the Abbasid Caliphate.
As the Islamic empires expanded and trade routes flourished, the name "KASSA" likely traveled along with merchants and settlers to other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. By the 12th century, variations of the name, such as "al-Qassa" and "al-Kassah," appeared in records from Egypt and the Levant region.
During the Ottoman Empire's reign in the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bore the surname "KASSA." One such figure was Mustafa Kassa, a renowned Ottoman poet and calligrapher who lived from 1540 to 1600. His works were highly regarded and contributed to the development of Ottoman literature and art.
Another prominent figure was Ibrahim Kassa, a 17th-century Turkish architect and engineer who oversaw the construction of several mosques and public buildings in Istanbul and other cities. His most famous work is the iconic Yeni Cami (New Mosque) in Istanbul, completed in 1665.
In more recent history, the surname "KASSA" has been carried by individuals from various fields. Khalil al-Kassa was a 19th-century Syrian scholar and historian who authored several books on the history and culture of the Levant region. Mahmoud Kassa was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as Egypt's ambassador to several countries in the mid-20th century.
While the surname "KASSA" has its roots in the Middle East, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its rich history and connection to the Islamic golden age and the Ottoman Empire remain an integral part of its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kassa
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassa, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.1%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kassa 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 Kassa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.7% · 1,870
- White18.1% · 430
- Two or more races1.3% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kassa
Kassa 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
#17,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,669
+698 bearers (+71.9%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Up 7,174 places
2020
#12,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,376
+707 bearers (+42.4%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 4,560 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,200 | 971 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,026 | 1,669 | 0.57 | +698 bearers (+71.9%) | Up 7,174 places |
| 2020 | #12,466 | 2,376 | 0.79 | +707 bearers (+42.4%) | Up 4,560 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 Kassa 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 | #17,026 | #12,466 | 26.8% |
| Count | 1,669 | 2,376 | 42.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.79 | 39.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kassa bearers went from 1,669 to 2,376 (+42.4% change). The surname moved up 4,560 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,026 to #12,466.
FAQ
Kassa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kassa?
Name Census estimates that about 2,725 living Americans carry the surname Kassa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,781 residents.
How common is Kassa?
Kassa ranks #12,466 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,376 people with the surname Kassa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,725), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Kassa.
Has Kassa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kassa went from 1,669 recorded bearers to 2,376. That is an increase of 707 (+42.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,026 to #12,466.
What does the Census say about the background of Kassa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassa, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.1%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kassa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (1,870 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kassa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (78.7%), White (18.1%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Kassa (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 Kassa mean?
A locational surname indicating someone from a place called Kassa. 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 Kassa (0.79 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 Kassa?
Want to know how common the surname Kassa is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.