2000
#94,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Lianos
A Greek surname likely derived from the word meaning "of the plain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Lianos. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lianos 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Lianos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lianos, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lianos
The surname Lianos is of Greek origin, tracing its roots back to the Byzantine Empire in the medieval period. It is derived from the Greek word "liano," which means "plain" or "flatland," suggesting that the name likely originated from individuals who lived on or near a vast, open stretch of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lianos can be found in the 14th century, when a Byzantine nobleman named Georgios Lianos was mentioned in several historical documents from the region of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). This suggests that the name may have initially been more concentrated in the eastern regions of the Byzantine Empire.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Lianos surname began to appear more frequently in various parts of Greece, particularly in the Peloponnese region and the Greek islands. One notable figure from this time was Konstantinos Lianos, a military commander who fought against the Ottoman Turks during the latter stages of the Byzantine Empire's decline.
As the Ottoman Empire expanded its control over Greece in the 16th and 17th centuries, many Greek families with the Lianos surname were forced to flee their homeland and seek refuge in other parts of Europe and the Mediterranean. This diaspora likely contributed to the spread of the name throughout regions like Italy, France, and the Balkans.
In the 18th century, a prominent Greek merchant named Ioannis Lianos established a successful trading business in Odessa, which was then part of the Russian Empire. His descendants continued to play a significant role in the city's economic and cultural life for generations.
Another notable figure with the Lianos surname was Georgios Lianos, a Greek revolutionary who participated in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottomans in the early 19th century. He was born in 1798 and played a crucial role in several battles, including the famous Siege of Missolonghi.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Lianos surname continued to be found across various parts of Greece, as well as in Greek communities around the world. Some notable individuals from this period include the poet Theodoros Lianos (1865-1926), the artist Dimitrios Lianos (1921-2008), and the academic and author Konstantinos Lianos (1936-2022).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lianos
Among Census respondents with the surname Lianos, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lianos 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 Lianos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 15
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lianos
Lianos 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
#115,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
-28 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 20,807 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-45 bearers (-29.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 36,605 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #94,227 | 180 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #115,034 | 152 | 0.05 | -28 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 20,807 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -45 bearers (-29.6%) | Down 36,605 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 Lianos 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 | #115,034 | #151,639 | -31.8% |
| Count | 152 | 107 | -29.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -28.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lianos bearers went from 152 to 107 (-29.6% change). The surname moved down 36,605 positions in the national ranking, going from #115,034 to #151,639.
FAQ
Lianos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lianos?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Lianos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Lianos?
Lianos ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Lianos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Lianos.
Has Lianos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lianos went from 152 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 45 (-29.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #115,034 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Lianos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lianos, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lianos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lianos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Hispanic (14.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lianos (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 Lianos mean?
A Greek surname likely derived from the word meaning "of the plain." 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 Lianos (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 Lianos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.