Explore the Family Name Kazan
The meaning of Kazan
1. Turkish, Ukrainian, Belorussian, and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): nickname, metonymic occupational name, or ornamental (artificial) name from Turkish kazan ‘cauldron, big soup-kettle’, which is also a loanword in East Slavic languages. 2. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from Hebrew ḥazan, an occupational name for a cantor in a synagogue. 3. American shortened form of Greek Kazantzis (or of its patronymic derivatives, e.g. Kazantzakis, Kazantzoglou): occupational name for a maker of cauldrons or for someone who used a cauldron for the distillation of ouzo or raki, from Turkish kazancı ‘cauldron-maker’, from kazan ‘cauldron’ + the agent noun suffix -cı. History: The American film director Elia Kazan (1909–2003) was of Greek origin, born in Istanbul, Turkey. His original surname was Kazandzoglou or Kazantzoglou.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Kazan in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Kazan has slightly decreased in the last decade. The rank of the name dropped from 38,320 in 2000 to 39,052 in 2010, marking a change of -1.91%. However, the count of people bearing this surname rose by 3.87% during the same period, with the numbers going up from 543 to 564. The proportion per 100,000 people lessened by 5%, dropping from 0.2 to 0.19.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #38,320 | #39,052 | -1.91% |
| Count | 543 | 564 | 3.87% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.2 | 0.19 | -5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kazan
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts over the ten-year span. The largest change was seen in the Asian/Pacific Islander category, which witnessed a decline of 48.12%, dropping from 2.39% in 2000 to 1.24% in 2010. The percentage of people with the surname Kazan identifying as two or more races also reduced by 22.83%. Meanwhile, there was a slight increase among those identifying as white, moving up by 0.77% to reach 91.31% in 2010. The Hispanic representation increased by 15.76% while the Black community appeared in the data for the first time in 2010 with 1.77%. There were no changes reported for American Indian and Alaskan Native identities.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.61% | 91.31% | 0.77% |
| Two or More Races | 4.6% | 3.55% | -22.83% |
| Hispanic | 1.84% | 2.13% | 15.76% |
| Black | 0% | 1.77% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.39% | 1.24% | -48.12% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |