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

Nicanor, 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 Nicanor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicanor in America

Nicanor is the 40494th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicanor surname appeared 540 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 Nicanor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicanor 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 Nicanor

The surname Nicanor is of Greek origin, derived from the Greek name Nikanor, which means "victor" or "conqueror." The name first appeared during the Hellenistic period in ancient Greece, around the 4th century BC.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Nicanor can be found in historical manuscripts and records dating back to the Byzantine Empire. One notable example is Nicanor, a Christian martyr who lived in the 2nd century AD and was mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.

In the Middle Ages, the surname Nicanor spread to various parts of Europe, particularly in regions with Greek cultural influences or Byzantine connections. Several variations of the spelling emerged, such as Nikanor, Nicanoris, and Nicanorus.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Nicanor was Flavius Nicanor, a Byzantine military commander who lived in the 6th century AD. He played a significant role in the wars against the Ostrogoths in Italy.

During the Renaissance period, the surname Nicanor gained prominence in Italy, particularly in the city of Venice, where it was associated with influential families involved in trade and commerce with the Greek territories of the Byzantine Empire.

In the 16th century, a notable figure was Nicandro Nicanor, an Italian scholar and humanist from Venice. He was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his contributions to the study of classical literature.

Another prominent individual with the surname Nicanor was Nicandro Nicanor, a 17th-century Italian painter active in Venice and known for his religious works and portraiture.

In the 19th century, Nicanor Nicanor, a Greek scholar and philologist, made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature and language. He was born in 1810 and lived in Athens, where he worked as a professor at the University of Athens.

It is worth noting that while the surname Nicanor has its roots in ancient Greece and the Byzantine Empire, it has also been adopted and used by families in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with Greek communities or cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicanor

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

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

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

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