2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kedzie
An Anglicized variation of the Polish surname Kiedzierski referring to someone from the village or area of Kiedzierz.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Kedzie. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kedzie 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Kedzie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kedzie, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kedzie
The surname Kedzie originated in Scotland and is believed to have derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "cediz," which means "a fair-haired person." This name first appeared in the Lowlands region of Scotland in the late 12th century. Some early spellings of the name include Kedsie, Kedsy, and Kedsee.
The Kedzie name can be traced back to a small village called Kedzie in the Scottish Borders region. This village was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of parchment rolls that recorded the names of Scottish landholders who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Kedzie surname was John Kedzie, who was born in Jedburgh, Scotland, around 1420. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the Scottish Borders region.
In the 16th century, the Kedzie family gained prominence in the town of Kelso, located in the Scottish Borders. During this time, a notable member of the family was William Kedzie (1535-1612), who served as the mayor of Kelso and was a respected member of the local community.
The Kedzie name also appeared in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The spelling used in the Domesday Book was "Kedesie."
As the Kedzie family spread across Scotland and eventually to other parts of the British Isles, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Kedzey, Kedzee, and Kedzie. Some notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Robert Kedzie (1823-1902), a Scottish-born American chemist and educator who served as the president of the Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University).
2. Wilfred P. Kedzie (1856-1930), an American businessman and real estate developer in Chicago. He founded the town of Kedzie, Illinois, which was later annexed by Chicago.
3. John Kedzie (1784-1856), a Scottish-born American soldier who served in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent landowner in Ohio.
4. Nellie Kedzie Jones (1888-1973), an American educator and women's rights activist who played a significant role in securing voting rights for women in Illinois.
5. James Kedzie (1763-1834), a Scottish-born American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kedzie
Among Census respondents with the surname Kedzie, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kedzie 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 Kedzie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kedzie
Kedzie 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,437 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,021 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 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 4,437 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 8,021 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 Kedzie 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 | #151,532 | #143,511 | 5.3% |
| Count | 108 | 118 | 9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kedzie bearers went from 108 to 118 (+9.3% change). The surname moved up 8,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #143,511.
FAQ
Kedzie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kedzie?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Kedzie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Kedzie?
Kedzie ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Kedzie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Kedzie.
Has Kedzie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kedzie went from 108 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 10 (+9.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Kedzie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kedzie, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Kedzie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kedzie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Black (1.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Kedzie (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 Kedzie mean?
An Anglicized variation of the Polish surname Kiedzierski referring to someone from the village or area of Kiedzierz. 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 Kedzie (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 people share the surname Kedzie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.