2000
#5,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,603
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Rare Last name
Kellum
From an Old Norse personal name derived from the word "kilmr," meaning "helmet," likely referring to a helmet-maker or warrior.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,253 Americans carry the last name Kellum. That puts it at #6,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,814 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kellum 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
6.3K
1 in 54,814
Census rank
#6,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,453 bearers of the surname Kellum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellum, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kellum
The surname KELLUM is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a now-lost place name that evolved from the Old English words "cyll" meaning a deep pit or spring, and "hamm" meaning a meadow or enclosure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1176, where it appears as "de Killum." This suggests that the name may have originated in Yorkshire or a nearby area. Over time, various spellings emerged, including Killum, Kyllum, and Kellam, before settling on the modern form of KELLUM.
The name KELLUM is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This reference solidifies the name's ancient origins and its connection to early English history.
Notable individuals bearing the KELLUM surname throughout history include:
1. John KELLUM (c. 1616-1691), an early settler in Rhode Island and one of the founders of Warwick, Rhode Island.
2. Edward KELLUM (1788-1835), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York.
3. Robert KELLUM (1808-1876), an American Methodist Episcopal minister and author from Virginia.
4. William KELLUM (1828-1908), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, who fought in several major battles.
5. Richard KELLUM (1901-1982), an American artist known for his landscape paintings and involvement in the New Deal arts projects.
While the KELLUM name is relatively uncommon today, its rich history and evolution from an Old English place name reflect the deep roots and heritage of this English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kellum
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellum, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kellum 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 Kellum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.1% · 3,496
- Black or African American26.2% · 1,431
- Two or more races4.8% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 202
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kellum
Kellum 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
#5,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,136
+533 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 23 places
2020
#6,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,453
-683 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 391 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,681 | 5,603 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,658 | 6,136 | 2.08 | +533 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 23 places |
| 2020 | #6,049 | 5,453 | 1.82 | -683 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 391 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 Kellum 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 | #5,658 | #6,049 | -6.9% |
| Count | 6,136 | 5,453 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 1.82 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kellum bearers went from 6,136 to 5,453 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 391 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,658 to #6,049.
FAQ
Kellum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kellum?
Name Census estimates that about 6,253 living Americans carry the surname Kellum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,814 residents.
How common is Kellum?
Kellum ranks #6,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,453 people with the surname Kellum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kellum.
Has Kellum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kellum went from 6,136 recorded bearers to 5,453. That is a decrease of 683 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,658 to #6,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Kellum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellum, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Kellum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (3,496 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kellum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.1%), Black (26.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Kellum (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 Kellum mean?
From an Old Norse personal name derived from the word "kilmr," meaning "helmet," likely referring to a helmet-maker or warrior. 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 Kellum (1.82 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 Kellum?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.