2000
#3,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,360
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.10
Rare Last name
Kelso
From a place name meaning "chalky hill" in Old English, originally referring to someone who lived near such a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,368 Americans carry the last name Kelso. That puts it at #4,200 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kelso 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 Kelso with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,588
Census rank
#4,200
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,169 bearers of the surname Kelso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4200th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelso, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kelso
The surname Kelso originates from Scotland and has its roots in the town of Kelso, located in the Scottish Borders region. The name is derived from the Brittonic Celtic words "kal" meaning "narrow" and "holm" meaning "river meadow" or "island," suggesting a connection to the town's location near the confluence of the River Tweed and River Teviot.
The town of Kelso, with its origins dating back to the 6th century, was an important ecclesiastical center and a significant location during the medieval period. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the late 12th century, when the Kelso Abbey was established in the town.
The surname Kelso is recorded in several historical documents, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the name was in use by the late 13th century.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Kelso throughout history are Sir Thomas Kelso, a Scottish nobleman and military commander who lived in the 15th century, and John Kelso, a 16th-century Scottish clergyman and reformer who served as a minister in Edinburgh.
In the 17th century, the Kelso family played a role in the colonization of North America. William Kelso, born in Scotland around 1630, was one of the earliest settlers in Virginia and served as a member of the House of Burgesses.
The surname Kelso can also be found in the annals of literature, with the Scottish poet James Kelso (1760-1838) being a prominent figure during the Romantic era. His works often celebrated the beauty of the Scottish Borders and reflected on rural life.
Another notable individual with the surname Kelso was Sir John Kelso, a British naval officer who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and was involved in several significant naval battles.
These are just a few examples of the rich history associated with the surname Kelso, which has its origins firmly rooted in the Scottish Borders region and has been carried by individuals across various fields and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelso
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelso, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kelso 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 Kelso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 6,793
- Black or African American7.0% · 571
- Two or more races4.8% · 396
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 301
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kelso
Kelso 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
#4,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,671
+311 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.94
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#4,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,169
-502 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,910 | 8,360 | 3.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,096 | 8,671 | 2.94 | +311 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #4,200 | 8,169 | 2.73 | -502 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 104 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 Kelso 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 | #4,096 | #4,200 | -2.5% |
| Count | 8,671 | 8,169 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.94 | 2.73 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kelso bearers went from 8,671 to 8,169 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,096 to #4,200.
FAQ
Kelso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kelso?
Name Census estimates that about 9,368 living Americans carry the surname Kelso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,588 residents.
How common is Kelso?
Kelso ranks #4,200 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,169 people with the surname Kelso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kelso.
Has Kelso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kelso went from 8,671 recorded bearers to 8,169. That is a decrease of 502 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,096 to #4,200.
What does the Census say about the background of Kelso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelso, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) 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 Kelso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (6,793 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kelso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (7.0%), 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 Kelso (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 Kelso mean?
From a place name meaning "chalky hill" in Old English, originally referring to someone who lived near such a hill. 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 Kelso (2.73 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 share the surname Kelso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.