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

Konan, 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 Konan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Konan in America

Konan is the 91221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Konan surname appeared 202 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 Konan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Konan 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 Konan

The surname KONAN is believed to have originated in Japan during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Japanese word "konan" which means "difficult" or "arduous." This name may have been given to someone who lived in a remote or challenging area, or who faced significant hardships in their life.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KONAN can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), where it appears in a document from the Shogunate archives. This document refers to a samurai warrior named KONAN Takeshi, who was a vassal of the Hojo clan.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the name KONAN is also mentioned in a few historical texts and records. One notable figure from this time was KONAN Masako, a female court official who served under the Ashikaga shogunate.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), there are several references to individuals with the surname KONAN in various samurai family registries and local records. One prominent example is KONAN Nobuyuki, a daimyo (feudal lord) who ruled over the Aizu domain in the late 18th century.

The name KONAN can also be traced back to certain place names in Japan. For instance, there is a small village called Konan in the Aichi Prefecture, which may have influenced the development of the surname in that region.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname KONAN. These include:

1. KONAN Naoko (1825-1892), a Confucian scholar and educator during the late Edo and early Meiji periods.
2. KONAN Yoshio (1869-1944), a politician and member of the House of Representatives during the Taisho and early Showa eras.
3. KONAN Tatsuhiro (1892-1976), a renowned painter and printmaker who specialized in traditional Japanese-style art.
4. KONAN Satoru (1927-2018), a successful businessman and founder of the KONAN Group, a major conglomerate in Japan.
5. KONAN Michiko (born 1959), a celebrated author and novelist known for her historical fiction and exploration of Japanese culture.

While the surname KONAN may have evolved over time and taken on various spellings or regional variations, its origins can be traced back to medieval Japan and the challenging circumstances or locations associated with its earliest bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Konan

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

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

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

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