2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kranis
A surname derived from the Greek word "kranion" meaning skull or cranium.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Kranis. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kranis 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Kranis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kranis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kranis
The surname KRANIS has its origins in the Greek language and can be traced back to the region of Macedonia in northern Greece during the Byzantine era. The name is derived from the Greek word "kranion," which means "skull" or "cranium." It is believed to have been initially used as a descriptive surname, possibly referring to someone with a distinctive skull shape or a profession related to the study or handling of skulls.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KRANIS surname can be found in a manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a certain "Ioannis Kranis" as a resident of the city of Thessaloniki. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname KRANIS was Georgios Kranis, a scholar and theologian from Thessaloniki. He is known for his contributions to the field of Byzantine philosophy and his writings on various theological subjects.
During the Ottoman period, the KRANIS surname spread to other parts of the Greek-speaking world, including the islands of the Aegean Sea and parts of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). One prominent individual from this era was Alexandros Kranis (1610-1678), a merchant and ship owner from the island of Chios.
In the 19th century, the KRANIS surname can be found in various historical records from the Greek communities of the Ottoman Empire. For example, Ioannis Kranis (1792-1867) was a prominent figure in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottomans, serving as a military leader and later as a member of the Greek parliament.
Another notable individual with the KRANIS surname was Konstantinos Kranis (1866-1944), a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Greece briefly in 1935.
While the KRANIS surname has its roots in Greek-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical origins can be traced back to the Byzantine era in the region of Macedonia, where it was likely first used as a descriptive surname related to the Greek word "kranion."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kranis
Among Census respondents with the surname Kranis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kranis 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 Kranis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kranis
Kranis 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,312 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,312 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,346 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 Kranis 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 | #143,149 | #146,495 | -2.3% |
| Count | 116 | 114 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kranis bearers went from 116 to 114 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #146,495.
FAQ
Kranis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kranis?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Kranis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Kranis?
Kranis ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Kranis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Kranis.
Has Kranis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kranis went from 116 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Kranis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kranis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) 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 Kranis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kranis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (7.0%), 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 Kranis (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 Kranis mean?
A surname derived from the Greek word "kranion" meaning skull or cranium. 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 Kranis (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 surname Kranis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.