2000
#67,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 274
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Cayanan
A surname possibly derived from a Native American language referring to place or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 594 Americans carry the last name Cayanan. That puts it at #44,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 577,028 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cayanan 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
594
1 in 577,028
Census rank
#44,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
518
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 518 bearers of the surname Cayanan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cayanan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cayanan
The surname CAYANAN is believed to have originated from the Philippines. It is likely derived from the Tagalog word "cayan," which means "to wait" or "to expect." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was known for their patience or anticipation.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname CAYANAN can be traced back to the late 16th century in the Philippines. During the Spanish colonization of the islands, many Filipinos adopted Spanish-sounding surnames, often derived from their native languages or from geographic locations.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname CAYANAN was Juan CAYANAN, a farmer who lived in the province of Pampanga in the early 17th century. Records from that time show that he owned a small plot of land near the town of Mexico, which was a Spanish settlement in the northern part of the island of Luzon.
In the 18th century, the name CAYANAN appeared in various documents related to the Catholic Church in the Philippines. For example, a woman named Maria CAYANAN was recorded as a member of the Convent of Santa Clara in Manila in 1732.
During the 19th century, the surname CAYANAN began to spread beyond the Philippines. One notable individual was Carlos CAYANAN, a Filipino merchant who established a successful trading business in Singapore in the 1840s. He was known for his entrepreneurial spirit and his efforts in promoting trade between the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
Another prominent figure with the surname CAYANAN was Filomena CAYANAN, a renowned Filipino writer and poet who lived from 1858 to 1932. She was recognized for her contributions to the development of Philippine literature and her advocacy for women's rights and education.
In the 20th century, the name CAYANAN continued to be found in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Filipino communities. One such individual was Julio CAYANAN, a Filipino-American activist and labor organizer who played a crucial role in the farm workers' movement in California during the 1960s and 1970s.
While the surname CAYANAN has its roots in the Philippines, it has since spread to other countries and continents, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped the modern world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cayanan
Among Census respondents with the surname Cayanan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cayanan 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 Cayanan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.0% · 466
- Two or more races3.9% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 13
- White2.1% · 11
- Black or African American1.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cayanan
Cayanan 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
#49,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 429
+155 bearers (+56.6%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 18,230 places
2020
#44,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 518
+89 bearers (+20.7%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 4,476 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67,317 | 274 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,087 | 429 | 0.15 | +155 bearers (+56.6%) | Up 18,230 places |
| 2020 | #44,611 | 518 | 0.17 | +89 bearers (+20.7%) | Up 4,476 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 Cayanan 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 | #49,087 | #44,611 | 9.1% |
| Count | 429 | 518 | 20.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.17 | 15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cayanan bearers went from 429 to 518 (+20.7% change). The surname moved up 4,476 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,087 to #44,611.
FAQ
Cayanan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cayanan?
Name Census estimates that about 594 living Americans carry the surname Cayanan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 577,028 residents.
How common is Cayanan?
Cayanan ranks #44,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 518 people with the surname Cayanan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (594), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Cayanan.
Has Cayanan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cayanan went from 429 recorded bearers to 518. That is an increase of 89 (+20.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #49,087 to #44,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Cayanan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cayanan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cayanan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cayanan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Cayanan (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 Cayanan mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Native American language referring to place or location. 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 Cayanan (0.17 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 Cayanan?
See how common the surname Cayanan is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.