2000
#1,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,179
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.08
Uncommon Last name
Cano
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a person with gray or white hair, or a cane maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 42,836 Americans carry the last name Cano. That puts it at #920 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,002 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cano 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 Cano with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
43K
1 in 8,002
Census rank
#920
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,355 bearers of the surname Cano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 920th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cano
The surname Cano is of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin word "canna" meaning "reed" or "cane." Its earliest recorded use can be traced back to the 8th century in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the regions of Castile and Andalusia.
During the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula sought to regain control from the Moors, many Canos fought alongside the Spanish forces. One notable figure from this era was Rodrigo Cano de Valladolid, a renowned knight who participated in the conquest of Granada in 1492.
As the Spanish Empire expanded throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cano surname spread across the Americas, particularly in regions like Mexico, Peru, and Colombia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World was Juan Cano, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
In the realm of literature, the Cano surname gained prominence with Alonso Cano, a 17th-century Spanish painter, sculptor, and architect who is considered one of the leading figures of the Golden Age of Spanish art. Another notable figure was Juan Sebastián Elcano, a Spanish explorer who completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth after Ferdinand Magellan's death in 1522.
The Cano surname also has a strong presence in the world of music and arts. Among the notable figures are the Mexican composer and conductor Eduardo Cano (1890-1962), known for his contributions to the Mexican folk music genre, and the Colombian artist and sculptor Edgar Cano (1938-2021), whose works have been exhibited worldwide.
Other notable individuals with the Cano surname include the Venezuelan politician and diplomat José Rafael Cano (1863-1934), who served as the President of Venezuela from 1899 to 1903, and the Spanish philosopher and essayist José Cano (1829-1904), who was known for his works on ethics and philosophy of law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cano
Among Census respondents with the surname Cano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cano 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 Cano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.8% · 33,924
- White6.7% · 2,496
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 514
- Two or more races0.5% · 177
- Black or African American0.4% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 110
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cano
Cano 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
#931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,368
+10,189 bearers (+37.5%)
Per 100,000 12.67
Rank movement Up 254 places
2020
#920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,355
-13 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 12.50
Rank movement Up 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,185 | 27,179 | 10.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #931 | 37,368 | 12.67 | +10,189 bearers (+37.5%) | Up 254 places |
| 2020 | #920 | 37,355 | 12.50 | -13 bearers (-0.0%) | Up 11 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 Cano 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 | #931 | #920 | 1.2% |
| Count | 37,368 | 37,355 | -0.0% |
| Per 100K | 12.67 | 12.50 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cano bearers went from 37,368 to 37,355 (+-0.0% change). The surname moved up 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #931 to #920.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cano
FAQ
Cano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cano?
Name Census estimates that about 42,836 living Americans carry the surname Cano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,002 residents.
How common is Cano?
Cano ranks #920 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,355 people with the surname Cano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (42,836), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Cano.
Has Cano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cano went from 37,368 recorded bearers to 37,355. That is a decrease of 13 (-0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #931 to #920.
What does the Census say about the background of Cano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (33,924 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.8%), White (6.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Cano (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 Cano mean?
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a person with gray or white hair, or a cane maker. 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 Cano (12.50 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 are called Cano?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Cano is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.