2000
#13,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Kees
A Dutch surname derived from the personal name Cornelis or Kees, a short form of Cornelis.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,201 Americans carry the last name Kees. That puts it at #14,827 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kees 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 Kees with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,727
Census rank
#14,827
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,919 bearers of the surname Kees in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14827th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kees, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kees
The surname "KEES" is of Dutch origin, and it can be traced back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. It is derived from the Dutch word "Kees," which is a diminutive form of the name "Cornelius." The name was particularly common in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch archives from the late 1500s. In these records, a man named Pieter Kees is mentioned as a resident of the city of Amsterdam.
The name "KEES" can also be linked to various place names in the Netherlands, such as Keestergat, a small village in the municipality of Schagen. This village's name is believed to have originated from the surname "KEES," suggesting that the name was well-established in the region.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname "KEES" was Jan Kees, a Dutch painter born in 1628 in Haarlem. His works, primarily depicting landscapes and seascapes, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual with the surname "KEES" was Willem Kees, born in 1796 in Rotterdam. He was a renowned Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in the city, including the Rotterdamse Schouwburg (Rotterdam Theater).
In the 19th century, Cornelius Kees, born in 1825 in Amsterdam, was a successful merchant and philanthropist. He was known for his contributions to various charitable organizations and his support for education initiatives in the city.
Around the same period, Johanna Kees, born in 1841 in Leiden, was a pioneering Dutch educator. She played a significant role in establishing new teaching methods and advocating for educational reforms in the Netherlands.
While the surname "KEES" is primarily associated with the Netherlands, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and in countries with Dutch settlements, such as South Africa and the United States, due to migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kees
Among Census respondents with the surname Kees, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kees 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 Kees surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 1,586
- Black or African American12.1% · 233
- Two or more races2.8% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kees
Kees 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
#13,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,154
+120 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 316 places
2020
#14,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,919
-235 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 836 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,675 | 2,034 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,991 | 2,154 | 0.73 | +120 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 316 places |
| 2020 | #14,827 | 1,919 | 0.64 | -235 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 836 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 Kees 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 | #13,991 | #14,827 | -6.0% |
| Count | 2,154 | 1,919 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.64 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kees bearers went from 2,154 to 1,919 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 836 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,991 to #14,827.
FAQ
Kees surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kees?
Name Census estimates that about 2,201 living Americans carry the surname Kees. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,727 residents.
How common is Kees?
Kees ranks #14,827 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,919 people with the surname Kees. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Kees.
Has Kees become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kees went from 2,154 recorded bearers to 1,919. That is a decrease of 235 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,991 to #14,827.
What does the Census say about the background of Kees?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kees, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (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 Kees in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (1,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kees appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (12.1%), Two or More Races (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 Kees (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 Kees mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the personal name Cornelis or Kees, a short form of Cornelis. 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 Kees (0.64 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 Kees?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.