2000
#10,097
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,943
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Cane
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of walking sticks or a dweller near canes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,629 Americans carry the last name Cane. That puts it at #12,821 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cane 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,374
Census rank
#12,821
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,293 bearers of the surname Cane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12821st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cane, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cane
The surname Cane originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "cane," which means "reed" or "cane plant." This suggests that the name may have been used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near reeds or marshlands.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Cane can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cana" and "Cane." These early spellings indicate that the name was already established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th century, the name Cane appeared in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where it was recorded as "Cane." This suggests that the name was widespread across different regions of England by this time.
In the 14th century, the name Cane was found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it was recorded as "Cane" in 1317. This provides evidence of the name's presence in northern England during this period.
One notable bearer of the surname Cane was John Cane, a 15th-century English scholar and theologian who lived from around 1430 to 1486. He was a fellow of New College, Oxford, and served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1481 to 1486.
Another individual with the surname Cane was Sir Clement Cane, a 16th-century English politician and landowner who lived from around 1515 to 1582. He served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire and played a role in the English Reformation.
In the 17th century, the surname Cane was associated with various place names, such as Canefield in Derbyshire and Canefields in Somerset. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.
One notable bearer of the surname Cane in the 18th century was John Cane, a British naval officer who lived from 1726 to 1806. He served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars, and was eventually promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.
In the 19th century, the surname Cane was found in various parts of England, as well as in other English-speaking countries due to migration and immigration. One notable individual with this surname was Sir Michael Cane, a British politician and barrister who lived from 1835 to 1912. He served as the Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1886 to 1892.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cane
Among Census respondents with the surname Cane, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cane 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 Cane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 1,553
- Black or African American18.5% · 424
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 162
- Two or more races4.5% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cane
Cane 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
#11,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,605
-338 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 1,891 places
2020
#12,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,293
-312 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 833 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,097 | 2,943 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,988 | 2,605 | 0.88 | -338 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 1,891 places |
| 2020 | #12,821 | 2,293 | 0.77 | -312 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 833 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 Cane 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 | #11,988 | #12,821 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,605 | 2,293 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.77 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cane bearers went from 2,605 to 2,293 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 833 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,988 to #12,821.
FAQ
Cane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cane?
Name Census estimates that about 2,629 living Americans carry the surname Cane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,374 residents.
How common is Cane?
Cane ranks #12,821 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,293 people with the surname Cane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,629), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cane.
Has Cane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cane went from 2,605 recorded bearers to 2,293. That is a decrease of 312 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,988 to #12,821.
What does the Census say about the background of Cane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cane, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Cane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (1,553 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Black (18.5%), Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Cane (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 Cane mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of walking sticks or a dweller near canes. 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 Cane (0.77 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 last name Cane?
See how common the surname Cane is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.