2000
#7,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,082
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Kellam
From an English place name meaning "at the ridges," referring to a person who lived near ridges or hills.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,491 Americans carry the last name Kellam. That puts it at #8,105 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,320 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kellam 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 Kellam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,320
Census rank
#8,105
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,916 bearers of the surname Kellam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8105th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellam, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.3%. The next largest groups are Black (37.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kellam
The surname KELLAM has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cyl" or "cele," meaning cold or chill, and the word "ham," meaning a homestead or village. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name describing a cold or chilly dwelling or area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KELLAM can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Robert de Kelham is mentioned. This name is likely derived from the village of Kelham in Nottinghamshire, which was originally spelled as "Keleham" in the Domesday Book of 1086.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms such as Kelham, Kellam, and Kelem in records from Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Norfolk. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Richard de Kelham, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1284.
By the 14th century, the KELLAM spelling had become more prevalent, with records showing instances of the name in Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, and Essex. One prominent figure from this era was John Kellam, a merchant and alderman of Norwich, who was born around 1350 and served as the city's mayor in 1388.
In the 16th century, the name KELLAM continued to be found in various parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. One notable bearer from this period was Thomas Kellam, a landowning gentleman from Cley-next-the-Sea in Norfolk, who was born around 1520 and served as a Justice of the Peace.
During the 17th century, the KELLAM name became more widespread across England, with records showing bearers in counties such as Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Dorset. One significant figure from this era was Captain Thomas Kellam, a naval officer born in 1624 in Norfolk, who commanded several ships in the Royal Navy and played a role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
As the centuries progressed, the KELLAM surname continued to be found across various regions of England, with bearers contributing to various fields, including agriculture, trade, and military service. Notable individuals with this surname include John Kellam, a 19th-century English cricketer who played for Sussex County Cricket Club, and Sir Roger Kellam, a prominent architect and civil engineer from the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kellam
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellam, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.3%. The next largest groups are Black (37.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kellam 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 Kellam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.3% · 2,089
- Black or African American37.9% · 1,486
- Two or more races5.1% · 201
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kellam
Kellam 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
#7,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,323
+241 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 162 places
2020
#8,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,916
-407 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 425 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,518 | 4,082 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,680 | 4,323 | 1.47 | +241 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 162 places |
| 2020 | #8,105 | 3,916 | 1.31 | -407 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 425 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 Kellam 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 | #7,680 | #8,105 | -5.5% |
| Count | 4,323 | 3,916 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.31 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kellam bearers went from 4,323 to 3,916 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 425 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,680 to #8,105.
FAQ
Kellam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kellam?
Name Census estimates that about 4,491 living Americans carry the surname Kellam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,320 residents.
How common is Kellam?
Kellam ranks #8,105 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,916 people with the surname Kellam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,491), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Kellam.
Has Kellam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kellam went from 4,323 recorded bearers to 3,916. That is a decrease of 407 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,680 to #8,105.
What does the Census say about the background of Kellam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellam, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.3%. The next largest groups are Black (37.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Kellam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.3% (2,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kellam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.3%), Black (37.9%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Kellam (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 Kellam mean?
From an English place name meaning "at the ridges," referring to a person who lived near ridges or hills. 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 Kellam (1.31 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 Kellam?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.