Find out how popular the last name Kaya is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kaya.

Kaya, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kaya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kaya in America

Kaya is the 18819th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kaya surname appeared 1,455 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kaya.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kaya to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kaya

The surname KAYA is believed to have originated from Turkey, with its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Turkish word "kaya," which means "rock" or "cliff." This surname was likely adopted by people who resided near rocky or mountainous areas, or who were associated with stonework or quarrying.

The earliest known record of the name KAYA can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appears in Ottoman manuscripts and documents. During this period, the KAYA surname was predominantly found in Anatolia, the heartland of the Ottoman Empire.

One notable historical figure with the surname KAYA was Mustafa Kaya, a 16th-century Ottoman architect who designed several mosques and other buildings in Istanbul and other parts of the empire. His most famous work is the Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosque, which was completed in 1580.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Mehmet Kaya, a Turkish folk singer and songwriter who lived from 1957 to 2000. He was known for his songs that addressed social and political issues, and his music played a significant role in the revival of Turkish folk music in the late 20th century.

In the 19th century, the KAYA surname began to spread beyond Turkey, as members of the Turkish diaspora migrated to other parts of the world. One notable example is Ahmet Muhtar Kaya, a renowned painter who was born in 1886 in Istanbul but later lived and worked in Paris, where he became part of the Parisian art scene.

The KAYA surname can also be found in other parts of the Middle East and Central Asia, likely due to the influence of the Ottoman Empire and the migration of Turkic peoples. For instance, Nurbek Kaya was a prominent Kyrgyz writer and poet who lived from 1928 to 1998.

Another notable figure with the KAYA surname is Fatma Aliye Kaya, a Turkish writer and pioneer of women's rights in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was born in 1862 and is considered one of the first female novelists and feminists in the Ottoman Empire.

While the surname KAYA has its origins in Turkey, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the rocky landscapes of Anatolia, where it was first adopted by those who lived and worked among the cliffs and mountains of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kaya

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kaya.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kaya was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kaya has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kaya was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kaya, please contact us.

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