2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kelpin
A surname derived from a Celtic personal name or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Kelpin. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kelpin 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Kelpin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelpin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kelpin
The surname KELPIN is believed to have originated in Scotland during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "kel" meaning a stream or brook, and "pyn" meaning a hill or enclosure. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a stream on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KELPIN appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage pledges to King Edward I of England from Scottish nobles and landowners. The name is spelled "Kelpyn" in this document. Other early spellings include "Kelpyne" and "Kelpin".
In the 14th century, a branch of the KELPIN family settled in the village of Kelpin near Dunfermline, Fife. The village likely took its name from the family, and the place name may have influenced the modern spelling of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname KELPIN throughout history include:
- Sir Robert KELPIN (c.1420-1489), a Scottish knight and landowner who fought in the Wars of the Roses.
- Margaret KELPIN (c.1530-1598), a Scottish herbalist and midwife renowned for her knowledge of medicinal plants.
- John KELPIN (1633-1698), an English botanist and author of "The Herbal of Kelpin", a comprehensive guide to plants and their uses.
- Elizabeth KELPIN (1745-1823), a Scottish poet and writer whose work often explored themes of nature and rural life.
- William KELPIN (1810-1871), a Scottish engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam engine design.
While the surname KELPIN is not among the most common surnames today, it has a rich history dating back to medieval Scotland and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelpin
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelpin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kelpin 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 Kelpin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 106
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kelpin
Kelpin 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+19 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,940 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,745 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 9,940 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,745 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 Kelpin 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 | #138,304 | #142,049 | -2.7% |
| Count | 121 | 120 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kelpin bearers went from 121 to 120 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,745 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #142,049.
FAQ
Kelpin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kelpin?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Kelpin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Kelpin?
Kelpin ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Kelpin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kelpin.
Has Kelpin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kelpin went from 121 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Kelpin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelpin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Kelpin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kelpin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Kelpin (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 Kelpin mean?
A surname derived from a Celtic personal name or place name. 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 Kelpin (0.04 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 are called Kelpin?
Find out how common the surname Kelpin is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.