2000
#38,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 543
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Kazan
A locational surname originating from the city of Kazan, Russia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 677 Americans carry the last name Kazan. That puts it at #40,105 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 506,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kazan 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
677
1 in 506,284
Census rank
#40,105
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
590
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 590 bearers of the surname Kazan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40105th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kazan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kazan
The surname Kazan has its origins in the Tatar language, and it is believed to have originated from the city of Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The name Kazan is derived from the Tatar word "qazan," which means "cauldron" or "boiler," referring to the cauldron-like shape of the city's fortifications.
The Kazan Khanate, a medieval Tatar state centered around the city of Kazan, played a significant role in the history of the region. The name Kazan can be traced back to the 13th century, when the city was first mentioned in historical records.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kazan was Kul Sharif, a prominent Tatar theologian and philosopher who lived in the 16th century (c. 1510-1552). He is known for his role in defending the city of Kazan against the Russian forces led by Ivan the Terrible.
Another notable figure with the surname Kazan was Mustafa Kazan, a Turkish poet and writer who lived in the 16th century (c. 1545-1598). He was renowned for his contributions to Ottoman literature and his poetic works.
In the 18th century, Mikhail Kazansky (1738-1812) was a Russian military leader and statesman who played a significant role in the Russo-Turkish wars. He is credited with the successful defense of the city of Kherson during the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792.
The name Kazan has also been associated with several places, such as the city of Kazan in Russia, as well as the Kazan River and the Kazan Governorate (now part of Tatarstan).
Another prominent figure with the surname Kazan was Grigoriy Nikolayevich Kazan (1888-1944), a Russian-Soviet painter and art educator who made significant contributions to the development of Soviet art and art education.
The name Kazan can be found in various historical records, including chronicles, manuscripts, and official documents from the medieval period onwards, reflecting its long-standing presence in the region and its association with the city of Kazan and the Tatar culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kazan
Among Census respondents with the surname Kazan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kazan 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 Kazan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 521
- Two or more races3.9% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 17
- Black or African American1.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kazan
Kazan 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
#39,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 564
+21 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 732 places
2020
#40,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 590
+26 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 1,053 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,320 | 543 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,052 | 564 | 0.19 | +21 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 732 places |
| 2020 | #40,105 | 590 | 0.20 | +26 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 1,053 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 Kazan 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 | #39,052 | #40,105 | -2.7% |
| Count | 564 | 590 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.20 | 3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kazan bearers went from 564 to 590 (+4.6% change). The surname moved down 1,053 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,052 to #40,105.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kazan
FAQ
Kazan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kazan?
Name Census estimates that about 677 living Americans carry the surname Kazan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 506,284 residents.
How common is Kazan?
Kazan ranks #40,105 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 590 people with the surname Kazan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (677), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Kazan.
Has Kazan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kazan went from 564 recorded bearers to 590. That is an increase of 26 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,052 to #40,105.
What does the Census say about the background of Kazan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kazan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Kazan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kazan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Kazan (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 Kazan mean?
A locational surname originating from the city of Kazan, Russia. 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 Kazan (0.20 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 Kazan?
Want to know how many people are called Kazan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.