2000
#2,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,849
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.13
Uncommon Last name
Kelsey
Derived from a place name meaning "Cenel's island" in Old English, referring to someone who lived on Cenel's island.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,522 Americans carry the last name Kelsey. That puts it at #2,603 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,082 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kelsey 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 Kelsey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 22,082
Census rank
#2,603
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,536 bearers of the surname Kelsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2603rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kelsey
The surname Kelsey has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Kelsey" or "Kelseye," which refers to several villages and parishes in various parts of England, particularly in Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire.
The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "celd" or "ceald," meaning "cold," and "ēa" or "ēg," meaning "stream" or "island." This suggests that the name Kelsey originally referred to a cold stream or a cold river island. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Calesei" and "Caleseia."
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Kelsey was Sir John Kelsey, a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Another notable bearer of the name was Roger Kelsey, a merchant and politician from Lincolnshire who served as Mayor of Lincoln in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, John Kelsey (1615-1699) was a respected English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stuntney in Cambridgeshire. Meanwhile, Thomas Kelsey (1668-1729) was an English mathematician and astronomer known for his work on calculating eclipses.
Moving into the 18th century, Henry Kelsey (1667-1724) was a famous English explorer and fur trader who is credited with being the first European to document the existence of the Canadian Prairies. He played a significant role in the early exploration and mapping of western Canada.
Throughout history, the Kelsey surname has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Kelsey-on-the-Hill, Kelsey North, and Kelsey South, as well as alternative spellings like Kelsy, Kelcie, and Kelcey. Despite its English origins, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, with notable bearers of the surname found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kelsey 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 Kelsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 10,958
- Black or African American9.7% · 1,314
- Two or more races3.9% · 523
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 479
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 123
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kelsey
Kelsey 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
#2,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,456
+607 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.90
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#2,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,536
-920 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.53
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,397 | 13,849 | 5.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,501 | 14,456 | 4.90 | +607 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #2,603 | 13,536 | 4.53 | -920 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 102 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 Kelsey 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 | #2,501 | #2,603 | -4.1% |
| Count | 14,456 | 13,536 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.90 | 4.53 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kelsey bearers went from 14,456 to 13,536 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,501 to #2,603.
FAQ
Kelsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kelsey?
Name Census estimates that about 15,522 living Americans carry the surname Kelsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,082 residents.
How common is Kelsey?
Kelsey ranks #2,603 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.53 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 13,536 people with the surname Kelsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,522), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.53 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 Kelsey.
Has Kelsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kelsey went from 14,456 recorded bearers to 13,536. That is a decrease of 920 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,501 to #2,603.
What does the Census say about the background of Kelsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Kelsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (10,958 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kelsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Kelsey (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 Kelsey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Cenel's island" in Old English, referring to someone who lived on Cenel's island. 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 Kelsey (4.53 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 common is the surname Kelsey?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Kelsey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.