2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kempston
Habitational name referring to someone from Kempston near Bedford, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Kempston. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kempston 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 Kempston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Kempston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kempston, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kempston
The surname KEMPSTON is of English origin, derived from the place name Kempston, a village near Bedford in Bedfordshire. The name likely dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period, possibly as early as the 7th or 8th century.
Kempston is believed to be derived from the Old English words "cempa" meaning "soldier" or "warrior" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement." This suggests the name may have originated as a descriptive term for a settlement or encampment of soldiers or warriors.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Camestone." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time, with the modern spelling of KEMPSTON emerging later.
One notable historical figure with the surname KEMPSTON was Sir John Kempston (c. 1435–1509), a member of the English gentry who served as Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire during the reign of King Henry VII.
In the 16th century, a family bearing the KEMPSTON name resided in the village of Kempston itself, as evidenced by records from the parish church. One member of this family, William KEMPSTON (c. 1550–1615), was a prominent landowner and held the position of churchwarden.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a soldier named Robert KEMPSTON (c. 1620–1680) fought for the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He later settled in the town of Bedford and established a successful business as a merchant.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the KEMPSTON name was John KEMPSTON (1721–1795), a renowned clockmaker from Bedfordshire. His intricate and highly accurate timepieces were sought after by the gentry and aristocracy of the time.
Another individual of historical significance was Elizabeth KEMPSTON (1780–1845), a writer and educator who published several books on education and child-rearing in the early 19th century. Her work was influential in shaping educational practices of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kempston
Among Census respondents with the surname Kempston, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kempston 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 Kempston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 105
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kempston
Kempston 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,487 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 4,487 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 2,174 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 Kempston 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 | #149,395 | #147,221 | 1.5% |
| Count | 110 | 113 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kempston bearers went from 110 to 113 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 2,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #147,221.
FAQ
Kempston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kempston?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Kempston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Kempston?
Kempston ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Kempston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kempston.
Has Kempston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kempston went from 110 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Kempston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kempston, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kempston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kempston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kempston (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 Kempston mean?
Habitational name referring to someone from Kempston near Bedford, England. 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 Kempston (0.04 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 have the last name Kempston?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kempston? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.