Kangas
A Finnish surname meaning “from the shore” or “from the river bank.”
The #7,013 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 64,645 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kangas is a Finnish surname formed from the common word kangas, which in place-name use can refer to a dry heath, moor, or wooded upland, and in some local contexts to land near a shore or bank. As a surname, it most likely began as a locational name for someone who lived on or came from a place called Kangas. Finnish surnames often grew from farm names and landscape features, so the name is tied to geography rather than to an occupation or personal trait.
History
The name is especially associated with Finland, where many surnames were taken from homesteads, villages, or natural features. It is well established in Finnish-American communities as well, reflecting 19th- and early-20th-century emigration from Finland to North America. Like many Finnish surnames, Kangas can appear both as a hereditary family name and as a place-based identifier.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Finnish place names, kangas is common enough that it turns up in many farm and locality names, which is one reason the surname is fairly straightforwardly geographic.