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

Kempt, 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 Kempt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kempt in America

Kempt is the 106570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kempt surname appeared 167 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 Kempt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kempt 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 Kempt

The surname Kempt is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cemped," which means "combed" or "well-groomed." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or occupational name for someone who worked as a comber or groomer of wool or other fibers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kempt can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Willelmus Kempt is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Kempe, Kemp, and Kempte, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time. For example, a record from 1275 in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire mentions a person named Johannes Kemp.

The Kempt surname has also been associated with certain place names in England. For instance, the village of Kemp Town, now part of Brighton, may have derived its name from the Kempt family who owned land in the area.

Notable individuals with the surname Kempt throughout history include:

1. John Kemp (c. 1380-1454), an English cardinal and Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of Henry VI.
2. William Kempt (c. 1530-1591), an English translator and writer known for his translation of the works of the Roman historian Justin.
3. Sir James Kempt (1765-1854), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became Governor-General of British North America (Canada).
4. Margery Kempe (c. 1373-1438), an English mystic and author of one of the earliest surviving autobiographies in English, "The Book of Margery Kempe."
5. Arthur Kempt (1904-1975), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the 1920s and 1930s.

While the Kempt surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and various cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kempt

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

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

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

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