2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Kelcourse
A locational surname referring to the town of Kilkhorse in Cornwall, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Kelcourse. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kelcourse 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Kelcourse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelcourse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kelcourse
The surname Kelcourse is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "cyll" meaning a spring or stream, and "cours" meaning a course or stream. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a small stream or waterway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Kilcurse." This entry references a landowner or tenant in the county of Somerset. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Kelcourse.
During the 13th century, records show a Robert de Kelcourse who was a landowner in the village of Kelcourse, located in the county of Gloucestershire. This village likely took its name from the nearby stream, and the surname Kelcourse may have originated from this location.
In the 14th century, a John Kelcourse was recorded as a merchant and trader in the city of Bristol. He was involved in the wool trade and is mentioned in several historical documents from that era.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Kelcourse was William Kelcourse (1525-1588), a scholar and theologian who served as the Dean of Windsor. He was known for his writings on religious subjects and his involvement in the English Reformation.
Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Kelcourse (1624-1689), a politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Charles II. He served as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire and was a vocal supporter of the Glorious Revolution.
In the 18th century, a Samuel Kelcourse (1712-1784) was a renowned clockmaker and watchmaker based in London. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by wealthy patrons and are now considered valuable antiques.
These examples demonstrate the historical presence of the Kelcourse surname across various regions of England and its association with different professions and social classes throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelcourse
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelcourse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kelcourse 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 Kelcourse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kelcourse
Kelcourse appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 4,842 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 Kelcourse 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 | #158,432 | #153,590 | 3.1% |
| Count | 102 | 104 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kelcourse bearers went from 102 to 104 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 4,842 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #153,590.
FAQ
Kelcourse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kelcourse?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Kelcourse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Kelcourse?
Kelcourse ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Kelcourse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kelcourse.
Has Kelcourse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kelcourse went from 102 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Kelcourse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelcourse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kelcourse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kelcourse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kelcourse (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 Kelcourse mean?
A locational surname referring to the town of Kilkhorse in Cornwall, England. 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 Kelcourse (0.03 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 last name Kelcourse?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Kelcourse at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.