2000
#39,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 528
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Rare Last name
Kamau
A Kenyan surname meaning "quiet warrior" or "born at a time of peace".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,564 Americans carry the last name Kamau. That puts it at #13,123 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kamau 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kamau with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,680
Census rank
#13,123
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,236 bearers of the surname Kamau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13123rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamau, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kamau
The surname Kamau originates from the Kikuyu people of Kenya. It is a name that dates back several centuries, with its roots in the Kikuyu language. The name Kamau is believed to be derived from the Kikuyu word 'kamaa', which means 'to be quiet' or 'to be silent'.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kamau can be found in the writings of Johann Ludwig Krapf, a German missionary who lived in East Africa in the 19th century. In his book 'Travels, Researches, and Missionary Labours During an Eighteen Years' Residence in Eastern Africa', published in 1860, Krapf mentions the name Kamau as being a common name among the Kikuyu people.
The name Kamau has been associated with various historical figures throughout the years. One notable bearer of the name was Kamau Muriithi, a Kenyan freedom fighter who played a significant role in the Mau Mau uprising against British colonial rule in the 1950s. Another prominent figure with the surname Kamau was Ngugi wa Thiong'o (born James Ngugi in 1938), a Kenyan writer and academic who is considered one of the most influential African writers of the 20th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Kamau include Kamau Brathwaite (1930-2020), a Barbadian poet and historian who was a key figure in the Caribbean literary renaissance; Kamau Muturire (born 1938), a Kenyan artist and sculptor known for his pioneering work in contemporary African art; and Kamau Bell (born 1973), an American comedian and socio-political commentator who has hosted several television shows.
The name Kamau has also been associated with various place names in Kenya. For example, Kamau Hill is a prominent geographical feature located in the Rift Valley region of the country. Additionally, there is a town called Kamau in the Central Province of Kenya, which is believed to have been named after an individual with the surname Kamau.
Overall, the surname Kamau has a rich history and cultural significance among the Kikuyu people of Kenya. It has been borne by numerous influential individuals throughout the years, and its origins can be traced back to the Kikuyu language and the concept of being quiet or silent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kamau
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamau, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kamau 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 Kamau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.7% · 2,005
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 75
- Two or more races3.1% · 70
- White2.9% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kamau
Kamau 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
#17,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,552
+1,024 bearers (+193.9%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Up 21,248 places
2020
#13,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,236
+684 bearers (+44.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 4,869 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,240 | 528 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,992 | 1,552 | 0.53 | +1,024 bearers (+193.9%) | Up 21,248 places |
| 2020 | #13,123 | 2,236 | 0.75 | +684 bearers (+44.1%) | Up 4,869 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 Kamau 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 | #17,992 | #13,123 | 27.1% |
| Count | 1,552 | 2,236 | 44.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.75 | 41.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kamau bearers went from 1,552 to 2,236 (+44.1% change). The surname moved up 4,869 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,992 to #13,123.
FAQ
Kamau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kamau?
Name Census estimates that about 2,564 living Americans carry the surname Kamau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,680 residents.
How common is Kamau?
Kamau ranks #13,123 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,236 people with the surname Kamau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kamau.
Has Kamau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kamau went from 1,552 recorded bearers to 2,236. That is an increase of 684 (+44.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,992 to #13,123.
What does the Census say about the background of Kamau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamau, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kamau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,005 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kamau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Kamau (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 Kamau mean?
A Kenyan surname meaning "quiet warrior" or "born at a time of peace". 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 Kamau (0.75 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 are called Kamau?
Find out how many people are called Kamau on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.