2000
#2,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,302
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.67
Uncommon Last name
Kellogg
An English occupational surname referring to a pig farmer or one who keeps a hog farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,203 Americans carry the last name Kellogg. That puts it at #2,373 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,924 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kellogg 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
17K
1 in 19,924
Census rank
#2,373
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,002 bearers of the surname Kellogg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2373rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellogg, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kellogg
The surname Kellogg is believed to have originated in England, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ceol" and "hog," which together translate to "ship-shaped hill" or "ship-shaped ridge." This surname was likely initially given to someone who resided near a prominent hill or ridge with a ship-like appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Kelloc." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in parts of England.
In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Kellock" and "Kellog," indicating the gradual evolution of the spelling over time. During this period, the surname was concentrated in the counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire.
One notable historical figure bearing the Kellogg surname was Sir John Kellogg, a 15th-century English landowner and knight who served as a member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in 1447-1448.
As the name spread across England, it also developed variations in spelling, such as "Kellog," "Kellock," and "Kellogg." These different spellings were often influenced by regional dialects and transcription errors.
In the 17th century, the Kellogg surname began to appear in colonial records of New England, as some members of the family immigrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded settlers was Samuel Kellogg, who was born in Essex, England, in 1610 and later settled in Massachusetts.
Another prominent figure with the Kellogg surname was Wilbur Kellogg (1899-1982), an American businessman who co-founded the Kellogg Company, a leading producer of breakfast cereals and other food products.
Other notable individuals with the Kellogg surname include Frank Billings Kellogg (1856-1937), an American politician and diplomat who served as the U.S. Secretary of State and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1929, and John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943), a pioneering American physician known for his work in promoting vegetarianism and developing various health foods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kellogg
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellogg, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kellogg 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 Kellogg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 12,828
- Black or African American5.4% · 817
- Two or more races3.8% · 575
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 539
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 151
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kellogg
Kellogg 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
#2,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,317
+15 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 5.19
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#2,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,002
-315 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 5.02
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,178 | 15,302 | 5.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,378 | 15,317 | 5.19 | +15 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #2,373 | 15,002 | 5.02 | -315 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 5 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 Kellogg 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 | #2,378 | #2,373 | 0.2% |
| Count | 15,317 | 15,002 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.19 | 5.02 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kellogg bearers went from 15,317 to 15,002 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,378 to #2,373.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kellogg
FAQ
Kellogg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kellogg?
Name Census estimates that about 17,203 living Americans carry the surname Kellogg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,924 residents.
How common is Kellogg?
Kellogg ranks #2,373 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,002 people with the surname Kellogg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Kellogg.
Has Kellogg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kellogg went from 15,317 recorded bearers to 15,002. That is a decrease of 315 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,378 to #2,373.
What does the Census say about the background of Kellogg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellogg, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Kellogg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (12,828 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kellogg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Kellogg (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 Kellogg mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a pig farmer or one who keeps a hog farm. 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 Kellogg (5.02 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 Kellogg?
See how many people have the surname Kellogg on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.