2000
#698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.57
Uncommon Last name
Kemp
An occupational surname for a person who combed wool or flax, or harvested hemp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 50,944 Americans carry the last name Kemp. That puts it at #762 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kemp 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 Kemp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
51K
1 in 6,728
Census rank
#762
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
44K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 44,426 bearers of the surname Kemp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 762nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kemp, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kemp
The surname Kemp originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "cempa" or "kempa," meaning a soldier, warrior, or champion. The name first emerged in areas such as Kent, Surrey, and Essex, which were strongholds of the Anglo-Saxon settlers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kemp can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Kempe." This ancient record lists several individuals bearing this surname, indicating its presence in various parts of England during the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name Kemp was associated with notable figures such as Walter Kemp (c. 1230-1294), a prominent English churchman who served as Bishop of Rochester and later as Archbishop of Canterbury. Another early bearer of the name was John Kemp (c. 1380-1454), an English cardinal and Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VI.
The surname Kemp also has connections to place names in England, such as Kemp Town, a coastal area in Brighton, and Kempton Park in Middlesex. These locations likely derived their names from individuals bearing the Kemp surname, reflecting the historical significance of this name in various regions.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname Kemp were:
1. Thomas Kemp (1517-1589), an English Catholic scholar and writer who served as a chaplain to Queen Mary I.
2. William Kemp (c. 1560-1620), an English actor and dancer who gained fame for his remarkable feat of morris dancing from London to Norwich in 1599.
3. John Kemp (c. 1665-1717), an English composer and organist who served as the organist at the Chapel Royal and authored several music publications.
4. George Kemp (1737-1807), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London and surrounding areas.
5. Jack Kemp (1935-2009), an American politician and former professional football player who served as the 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and was the Republican Party's vice-presidential nominee in 1996.
Over the centuries, the surname Kemp has maintained a strong presence in various parts of the English-speaking world, reflecting its deep roots in English history and the widespread influence of its bearers across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kemp
Among Census respondents with the surname Kemp, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kemp 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 Kemp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 30,863
- Black or African American21.7% · 9,621
- Two or more races4.7% · 2,070
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,330
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 272
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 270
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kemp
Kemp 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
#753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,146
+1,445 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 15.64
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,426
-1,720 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 14.86
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #698 | 44,701 | 16.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #753 | 46,146 | 15.64 | +1,445 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #762 | 44,426 | 14.86 | -1,720 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 9 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 Kemp 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 | #753 | #762 | -1.2% |
| Count | 46,146 | 44,426 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 15.64 | 14.86 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kemp bearers went from 46,146 to 44,426 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #753 to #762.
FAQ
Kemp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kemp?
Name Census estimates that about 50,944 living Americans carry the surname Kemp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,728 residents.
How common is Kemp?
Kemp ranks #762 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 44,426 people with the surname Kemp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (50,944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Kemp.
Has Kemp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kemp went from 46,146 recorded bearers to 44,426. That is a decrease of 1,720 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #753 to #762.
What does the Census say about the background of Kemp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kemp, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Kemp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (30,863 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kemp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.5%), Black (21.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Kemp (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 Kemp mean?
An occupational surname for a person who combed wool or flax, or harvested hemp. 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 Kemp (14.86 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 Kemp?
See how common the surname Kemp is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.