2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kaynor
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly locative or ethnic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Kaynor. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaynor 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.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Kaynor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaynor, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaynor
The surname Kaynor originates from England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cægn" meaning servant or warrior, and "ora" meaning shore or bank. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a river or coastal area and worked as a servant or soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaynor can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled "Caynore." This document was a census-like record of landholders and their holdings during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Caynour" and "Kaynour" in tax records and court rolls across various counties in England, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Essex.
A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Kaynor, a knight who fought in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. He was awarded lands in Gloucestershire for his service to King Edward III.
In the 16th century, the Kaynor surname can be found in parish records from the village of Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, where a family of that name resided for several generations. One prominent member was William Kaynor (1525-1591), a wealthy landowner and local magistrate.
Another notable individual was Mary Kaynor (1612-1678), a Puritan writer and poet from Northamptonshire, who published several religious works during the English Civil War era.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname continued to appear in various parts of England, with some families settling in London and other urban areas. One such example is Thomas Kaynor (1745-1813), a successful merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of a school in his hometown of Gloucester.
As the British Empire expanded, the Kaynor name began to spread to other parts of the world, with some notable figures emerging in the colonies. One such individual was Captain James Kaynor (1768-1842), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent settler in Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaynor
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaynor, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaynor 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 Kaynor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaynor
Kaynor 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,252 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+10 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,038 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 1,252 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 7,038 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 Kaynor 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 | #148,347 | #141,309 | 4.7% |
| Count | 111 | 121 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaynor bearers went from 111 to 121 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 7,038 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #141,309.
FAQ
Kaynor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaynor?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Kaynor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Kaynor?
Kaynor ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Kaynor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kaynor.
Has Kaynor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaynor went from 111 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 10 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaynor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaynor, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Kaynor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaynor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (2.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Kaynor (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 Kaynor mean?
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly locative or ethnic. 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 Kaynor (0.04 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 Kaynor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.