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

Kempson, 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 Kempson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kempson in America

Kempson is the 54296th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kempson surname appeared 380 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 Kempson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kempson 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 Kempson

The surname Kempson originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cemp" meaning a soldier or warrior, and "sunu" meaning son, indicating that the name likely referred to the son of a soldier or warrior in its earliest usage.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Kempson appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named Thomas Kempsone is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in various spellings by the late medieval period.

The Kempson surname is also closely associated with the village of Kimpton in Hertfordshire, which was once known as Kempton or Kempston. This place name may have influenced the spelling of the surname in certain regions.

In the 16th century, the Kempson name appears in several parish records, including those of St. Michael's Church in Coventry, where a John Kempson was buried in 1556. Around the same time, a Thomas Kempson was recorded as a resident of the town of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire.

Notable individuals with the Kempson surname include:

1. William Kempson (c. 1590-1663), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of St John's College, Oxford.

2. Robert Kempson (1819-1905), an English architect known for designing several churches and buildings in the Gothic Revival style.

3. Rachel Kempson (1910-2003), a renowned English actress who appeared in numerous stage productions and films, including "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "The King's Speech."

4. James Kempson (1938-2018), a British actor best known for his roles in the television series "Doctor Who" and "Doomwatch."

5. Philippa Kempson (born 1968), a British actress and writer who has appeared in various television shows, including "Holby City" and "Casualty."

While the Kempson name has been present in England for centuries, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, contributing to its diverse historical and cultural significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kempson

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

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 Kempson 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 Kempson 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 Kempson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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