2000
#82,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Karnas
A Sanskrit Indian name meaning "attentive" or "listener".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 235 Americans carry the last name Karnas. That puts it at #95,461 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,458,529 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karnas 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
235
1 in 1,458,529
Census rank
#95,461
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
205
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 205 bearers of the surname Karnas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 95461st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karnas, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karnas
The surname KARNAS has its origins in Lithuania, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is derived from the Lithuanian word "karnas," which means "horn" or "antler." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a place known for its abundance of antlers or horns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KARNAS surname can be found in a Lithuanian manuscript from the late 16th century, which mentions a farmer named Jonas Karnas. This indicates that the name was already in use among the peasant class at that time.
In the 17th century, the KARNAS surname began to spread beyond Lithuania, with some bearers migrating to neighboring regions such as Poland and Belarus. This was likely due to political and economic factors, as well as the shifting borders of the region.
During the 18th century, a notable figure with the KARNAS surname was Mykolas Karnas, a Lithuanian poet and philosopher who lived from 1723 to 1795. He is best known for his work "Metai" (The Seasons), which is considered a masterpiece of Lithuanian literature.
Another prominent bearer of the KARNAS name was Petras Karnas, a Lithuanian military commander who fought against the Russian Empire in the early 19th century. He played a crucial role in the Lithuanian uprising of 1831 and is revered as a national hero.
In the late 19th century, the KARNAS surname began to appear in historical records from other parts of Europe, as some members of the family emigrated westward in search of better opportunities. For instance, a merchant named Antanas Karnas (1856-1932) is known to have settled in Germany and established a successful business there.
Other notable individuals with the KARNAS surname include Juozas Karnas (1880-1954), a Lithuanian-American engineer who was instrumental in the development of early radio technology, and Ona Karnas (1905-1987), a Lithuanian-born poet and writer who lived and worked in the United States.
Throughout its history, the KARNAS surname has maintained its strong ties to its Lithuanian roots, even as its bearers have spread across different parts of the world. It remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Baltic region and the enduring legacy of its people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karnas
Among Census respondents with the surname Karnas, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Karnas 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 Karnas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 14
- Two or more races2.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karnas
Karnas 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
#94,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 193
-21 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 12,711 places
2020
#95,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 205
+12 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 731 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #82,019 | 214 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #94,730 | 193 | 0.07 | -21 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 12,711 places |
| 2020 | #95,461 | 205 | 0.07 | +12 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 731 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 Karnas 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 | #94,730 | #95,461 | -0.8% |
| Count | 193 | 205 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karnas bearers went from 193 to 205 (+6.2% change). The surname moved down 731 positions in the national ranking, going from #94,730 to #95,461.
FAQ
Karnas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karnas?
Name Census estimates that about 235 living Americans carry the surname Karnas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,458,529 residents.
How common is Karnas?
Karnas ranks #95,461 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 205 people with the surname Karnas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (235), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Karnas.
Has Karnas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karnas went from 193 recorded bearers to 205. That is an increase of 12 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #94,730 to #95,461.
What does the Census say about the background of Karnas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karnas, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Karnas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (184 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karnas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Karnas (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 Karnas mean?
A Sanskrit Indian name meaning "attentive" or "listener". 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 Karnas (0.07 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 Karnas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.