2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kiliany
A surname derived from the Polish town name Kilianów.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Kiliany. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kiliany 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Kiliany in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiliany, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kiliany
The surname Kiliany is of Polish origin, originating in the early 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "kilijan," which means "linen weaver." This suggests that the name was initially used as an occupational surname for those who worked in the linen trade.
The name Kiliany is believed to have emerged in the regions of Silesia and Greater Poland, where the linen industry was particularly prominent during the Middle Ages. Historical records indicate that the earliest known bearer of the name was Jan Kiliany, a linen weaver from the town of Opole in Silesia, who was mentioned in a tax register from 1427.
In the 16th century, the name Kiliany can be found in various Polish parish records and land ownership documents. One notable reference is to Mikołaj Kiliany, a landowner from the village of Strzegowa in Greater Poland, who was mentioned in a land deed from 1592.
As the linen trade expanded across Europe, the name Kiliany began to appear in other regions as well. In the 17th century, a family by the name of Kiliany settled in the German city of Cologne, where they established a successful linen business. One of the earliest recorded members of this family was Hans Kiliany, a linen merchant born in 1628.
Another notable bearer of the name was Franciszek Kiliany (1709-1781), a Polish nobleman and landowner who served as a court official in the Kingdom of Poland. He was known for his contributions to the development of agriculture and land management techniques in his region.
In the 19th century, the name Kiliany gained further recognition with the birth of Józef Kiliany (1819-1897), a Polish painter and artist who was celebrated for his landscape paintings and portraits. His works are now part of several prestigious art collections in Poland.
Other historical figures with the surname Kiliany include Stanisław Kiliany (1877-1944), a Polish lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Polish Parliament in the early 20th century, and Zygmunt Kiliany (1892-1959), a Polish military officer and decorated World War I veteran.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiliany
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiliany, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kiliany 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 Kiliany surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kiliany
Kiliany 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,292 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-7 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,292 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 7,338 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 Kiliany 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 | #142,108 | #149,446 | -5.2% |
| Count | 117 | 110 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kiliany bearers went from 117 to 110 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 7,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #149,446.
FAQ
Kiliany surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kiliany?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Kiliany. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Kiliany?
Kiliany ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Kiliany. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Kiliany.
Has Kiliany become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kiliany went from 117 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Kiliany?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiliany, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kiliany in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kiliany appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (2.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kiliany (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 Kiliany mean?
A surname derived from the Polish town name Kilianów. 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 Kiliany (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 many people have the last name Kiliany?
Want to know how many people are called Kiliany? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.