Kirakosian last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Kirakosian

An Armenian surname indicating one's origins in the village of Kirakos.

Kirakosian, 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 Kirakosian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kirakosian in America

Kirakosian is the 97210th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kirakosian surname appeared 187 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 Kirakosian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kirakosian 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank97210101157-3.98%
Count18716512.50%
Proportion per 100k0.060.060.00%

The history of the last name Kirakosian

The surname Kirakosian traces its origins to Armenia, a country located in the Caucasus region between Europe and Asia. This name likely emerged in the medieval period, though its precise origins are unclear.

One theory suggests that Kirakosian is derived from the Armenian name Kirakos, which itself comes from the words "kir" meaning "sun" and "akos" meaning "beam" or "ray." This would make Kirakosian a patronymic surname, indicating a familial relationship to an ancestor named Kirakos.

Another possibility is that Kirakosian originates from a place name, such as the village of Kirakos or a similar-sounding location in historic Armenia. Surnames derived from place names were common in the region during the Middle Ages.

While there are no definitive historical records documenting the earliest instances of the Kirakosian surname, a few notable individuals have borne this name throughout history.

One of the earliest recorded Kirakosians was Kirakos Gandzaketsi, a 13th-century Armenian historian and writer. His works provide valuable insights into the political and cultural climate of medieval Armenia.

In the 17th century, Kirakos Virapetsi was a prominent Armenian theologian and philosopher. He made significant contributions to the development of Armenian religious thought and is remembered for his scholarly writings.

During the 19th century, Kirakos Mikayelian was a notable Armenian poet and translator. Born in 1857, he played a pivotal role in introducing Western literature to Armenian readers through his translations of works by authors like Shakespeare and Goethe.

Another noteworthy figure was Kirakos Khandamiryan, an Armenian military commander who lived in the early 20th century. He played a crucial role in the defense of Armenian communities during the Ottoman Empire's persecution of Armenians.

In more recent times, Kirakos Araratian was a respected Armenian artist and painter born in 1928. His works, which often depicted scenes from Armenian life and culture, have been exhibited in galleries around the world.

While the surname Kirakosian may have evolved from various sources, it remains a distinct and enduring part of Armenian cultural heritage, with a rich history spanning centuries and encompassing individuals from diverse walks of life.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kirakosian

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

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 Kirakosian was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only94.65%177
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races2.67%5
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Kirakosian has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White94.65%69.09%31.22%
Black(S)%0.00%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.00%0.00%0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races2.67%30.91%-168.20%
Hispanic(S)%0.00%(S)%

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 Kirakosian was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.

Search
Search
Background shape