Explore the Family Name Cahan

The meaning of Cahan

1. Irish: shortened form of McCahan or O’Cahan (see O’Kane). 2. Jewish: variant of Cohen. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Nissen.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Cahan in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Cahan saw a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 51,024th most common surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had slipped to the 56,710th spot, reflecting an 11.14% decrease in rank. The total count of individuals with this surname also dropped from 384 in 2000 to 360 in 2010, a reduction of 6.25%. Consequently, the proportion of people with the surname Cahan per 100,000 individuals in the U.S. population decreased by 14.29%, from 0.14 in 2000 to 0.12 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#51,024	#56,710	-11.14%
Count	384	360	-6.25%
Proportion per 100k	0.14	0.12	-14.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cahan

When it comes to the ethnic identity associated with the surname Cahan, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, there were some shifts observed from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, the majority of the Cahans identified as White (93.49%), a figure that increased to 95.56% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased significantly during this period, from 3.65% to 1.94%. Additionally, while no individuals with the surname Cahan identified as being of two or more races in 2000, by 2010, 1.39% did. There were no recorded instances of individuals with the Cahan surname identifying as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	93.49%	95.56%	2.21%
Asian/Pacific Islander	3.65%	1.94%	-46.85%
Two or More Races	0%	1.39%	0%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%