Kilbourne
Of English origin signifying the stream by the wooden enclosure or farm.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Kilbourne. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kilbourne today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kilbourne births was 1925 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kilbourne. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kilbourne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1925
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1925 SSA rank
#3,972
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Kilbourne: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kilbourne by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kilbourne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kilbourne
The name Kilbourne is an English variant of the name Kilburn, which originated in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "cill" meaning a church or chapel, and "burna" meaning a stream or brook. This suggests that the name originally referred to a location where a church or chapel stood near a stream or brook.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kilbourne dates back to the 13th century in England. It was likely used as a surname initially, referring to someone who lived near the location of a church by a stream. Over time, it transitioned to being used as a given name as well.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kilbourne was Sir John Kilbourne, a 14th-century English knight and landowner from Derbyshire. He was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a member of the King's Council during the reign of Edward III.
Another notable figure with the name Kilbourne was Thomas Kilbourne, a 17th-century English Puritan minister and author. He was born in 1615 and is best known for his work "The Depths of Satan," published in 1677, which explored the nature of sin and temptation.
In the 18th century, there was a Kilbourne family that played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. Nehemiah Kilbourne, born in 1720, was a soldier and patriot who fought in several battles against the British forces. His son, Ezekiel Kilbourne (1760-1834), also served in the Continental Army.
Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the name Kilbourne was James Kilbourne, an American lawyer and politician. Born in 1770, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives and played a crucial role in the establishment of the state of Ohio.
Another notable figure from this period was Henry Kilbourne, a British architect and civil engineer. He was born in 1786 and is best known for his work on the construction of the Rideau Canal in Canada, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
While the name Kilbourne has its roots in medieval England, it has been used by individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout history, spanning several centuries and continents.
People
Kilbourne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kilbourne as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kilbourne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kilbourne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kilbourne going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Kilbourne a common name?
We classify Kilbourne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kilbourne most popular?
The single biggest year for Kilbourne was 1925, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kilbourne is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kilbourne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kilbourne a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kilbourne in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kilbourne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kilbourne in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kilbourne can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Kilbourne?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Kilbourne, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.