Find out how popular the last name Kelsaw is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kelsaw.

Kelsaw, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kelsaw surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kelsaw in America

Kelsaw is the 91221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kelsaw surname appeared 202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kelsaw.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kelsaw to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kelsaw

The surname KELSAW is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from a combination of the Old English words "cel" meaning "cold" and "sæwe" meaning "sea," suggesting a connection to a location near a cold sea or body of water. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Kelsawe," found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1188.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KELSAW surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a John de Kelsawe is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have originated in the Oxfordshire region or had connections there during that time period. Additionally, the Placita de Quo Warranto from 1292 references a Thomas de Kelsawe, potentially related to a place name now lost or altered over time.

In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the KELSAW name was Robert Kelsaw (c. 1320 - 1395), a merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire. Records indicate that he was involved in wool trading and held significant property in the village of Kelstern, which may have had some influence on the spelling and origin of the surname.

During the 16th century, the KELSAW name appeared in various records across different regions of England. For instance, the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662 listed a William Kelsaw in the county of Yorkshire, while the Parish Records of Gloucestershire from 1593 mentioned a marriage between John Kelsaw and Margaret Browne.

One of the earliest known individuals with the KELSAW surname in the Americas was Thomas Kelsaw (c. 1620 - 1688), who emigrated from England to Virginia in the mid-17th century. He is recorded as having owned land and property in Northampton County, Virginia, and is considered one of the earliest ancestors of the KELSAW family in the United States.

Another notable figure was Sir John Kelsaw (1675 - 1743), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Quadruple Alliance. He was knighted for his distinguished service and is remembered for his role in several naval battles against the French and Spanish fleets.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kelsaw

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kelsaw.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kelsaw was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kelsaw has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kelsaw was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kelsaw, please contact us.

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