2000
#10,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,879
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Kays
A variant of the surname Kay, referring to a jackdaw or a person resembling the bird.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,020 Americans carry the last name Kays. That puts it at #11,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kays 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 Kays with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,495
Census rank
#11,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,634 bearers of the surname Kays in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kays, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kays
The surname KAYS is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "cægc" or "keys," which referred to a keeper of keys or a gatekeeper. This occupation-based surname likely emerged among those employed as gatekeepers or caretakers of castles, manors, or other important buildings.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Keyes, Kayes, and Kays, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327, where a certain John Keyes is mentioned.
The KAYS surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded bearers was Sir John Kays, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 15th century (c. 1420-1495). He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1491 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, particularly in supporting the education of underprivileged children.
Another significant figure was Robert Kays (1639-1716), an English mathematician and astronomer. He was a fellow of the Royal Society and made valuable contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion. His work was highly regarded by his contemporaries, including Sir Isaac Newton.
In the literary realm, the name is associated with Samuel Kays (1756-1825), an English poet and essayist. He gained recognition for his pastoral poetry and wrote extensively on various topics, including politics and philosophy.
The KAYS surname also has connections to the military. One notable individual was General Sir John Kays (1790-1865), a distinguished British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became the Governor of the Ionian Islands (1849-1859).
Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir Henry Kays (1820-1898), a British colonial administrator and diplomat. He served as the Governor of the Straits Settlements (present-day Singapore, Malaysia, and Penang) from 1867 to 1873 and played a crucial role in the development of the region.
While the KAYS surname has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. The name can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where descendants of English immigrants have continued to carry this historical surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kays
Among Census respondents with the surname Kays, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kays 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 Kays surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,425
- Two or more races3.7% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kays
Kays 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
#11,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,863
-16 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 825 places
2020
#11,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,634
-229 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,261 | 2,879 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,086 | 2,863 | 0.97 | -16 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 825 places |
| 2020 | #11,441 | 2,634 | 0.88 | -229 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 355 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 Kays 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 | #11,086 | #11,441 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,863 | 2,634 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.88 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kays bearers went from 2,863 to 2,634 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 355 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,086 to #11,441.
FAQ
Kays surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kays?
Name Census estimates that about 3,020 living Americans carry the surname Kays. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,495 residents.
How common is Kays?
Kays ranks #11,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,634 people with the surname Kays. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,020), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Kays.
Has Kays become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kays went from 2,863 recorded bearers to 2,634. That is a decrease of 229 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,086 to #11,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Kays?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kays, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) 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 Kays in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,425 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kays appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%), 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 Kays (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 Kays mean?
A variant of the surname Kay, referring to a jackdaw or a person resembling the bird. 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 Kays (0.88 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 have the surname Kays?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.