2000
#6,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.90
Rare Last name
Kaylor
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of keys or locks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,524 Americans carry the last name Kaylor. That puts it at #6,733 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaylor 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 Kaylor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,048
Census rank
#6,733
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,817 bearers of the surname Kaylor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6733rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaylor, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaylor
The surname KAYLOR originates from England, dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "calewaie," which referred to a paved road or causeway. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived near or worked on a paved road.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KAYLOR can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a person named William Calewer was listed. This spelling variation provides insight into the name's evolution over time.
During the Middle Ages, the KAYLOR name appeared in various historical documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1332, where a John Calewer was mentioned. The name was also recorded in the Hearth Tax Returns of Staffordshire in 1666, indicating the surname's presence in different regions of England.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the KAYLOR name was John Kaylor (c. 1520 - 1592), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London. His legacy is documented in the records of the Worshipful Company of Vintners, an influential guild of wine merchants.
Another individual of historical significance was Robert Kaylor (1635 - 1704), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Warwickshire. His estate and holdings were recorded in the land tax records of the time.
Moving forward to the 18th century, a notable figure was Sir Thomas Kaylor (1712 - 1789), a successful businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Bristol. He served as the Mayor of Bristol and was instrumental in establishing several charitable institutions.
In the 19th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the KAYLOR surname was William Kaylor (1822 - 1898), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the iconic St. Pancras Station.
Throughout its history, the KAYLOR surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Kaylor's Green in Oxfordshire and Kaylor's Farm in Gloucestershire. These place names suggest the presence of families bearing the KAYLOR name in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaylor
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaylor, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaylor 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 Kaylor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 4,373
- Two or more races3.9% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 135
- Black or African American1.7% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaylor
Kaylor 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
#6,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,260
+127 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 309 places
2020
#6,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,817
-443 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 279 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,145 | 5,133 | 1.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,454 | 5,260 | 1.78 | +127 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 309 places |
| 2020 | #6,733 | 4,817 | 1.61 | -443 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 279 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 Kaylor 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 | #6,454 | #6,733 | -4.3% |
| Count | 5,260 | 4,817 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.61 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaylor bearers went from 5,260 to 4,817 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 279 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,454 to #6,733.
FAQ
Kaylor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaylor?
Name Census estimates that about 5,524 living Americans carry the surname Kaylor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,048 residents.
How common is Kaylor?
Kaylor ranks #6,733 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,817 people with the surname Kaylor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,524), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kaylor.
Has Kaylor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaylor went from 5,260 recorded bearers to 4,817. That is a decrease of 443 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,454 to #6,733.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaylor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaylor, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kaylor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (4,373 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaylor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Kaylor (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 Kaylor mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of keys or locks. 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 Kaylor (1.61 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 Americans have the surname Kaylor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.