2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kenary
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupational nickname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Kenary. 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 Kenary 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.
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 Kenary 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 Kenary, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kenary
The surname Kenary has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cenere," which means "keeper of the ashes" or "ash-bearer." This occupation-based surname was likely given to individuals who worked as ash-collectors or woodsmen responsible for clearing ashes from fireplaces.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Kenary can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1195, where a person named William Kenary is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1273, which lists a Robert Kenarey among the landholders.
In the 14th century, the surname was sometimes spelled as "Kenarie" or "Kenery," as evidenced by records from the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Kenery is mentioned in 1348. The variant spelling "Kenarie" can also be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, which lists a William Kenarie.
Notable individuals who bore the surname Kenary include Sir William Kenary (c. 1420 - 1492), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire. He served as a knight of the shire for the county in the Parliament of 1472. Another prominent figure was Richard Kenary (c. 1560 - 1638), a renowned scholar and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Norfolk from 1620 until his death.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Kenary was also found in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, where a family of Kenarys resided in the village of Grimsby. One notable member of this branch was John Kenary (1592 - 1670), a successful merchant and alderman of the town.
In the 18th century, the surname Kenary was particularly prevalent in the county of Wiltshire, where several families bearing this name were recorded in parish registers. One notable individual from this region was Thomas Kenary (1732 - 1812), a respected farmer and landowner who served as a churchwarden in the village of Broad Hinton.
As the centuries passed, the surname Kenary underwent various spelling variations, including Kenarie, Kenery, Kennery, and Kennarie, reflecting the phonetic nature of surnames in English history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kenary
Among Census respondents with the surname Kenary, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kenary 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 Kenary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 104
- Black or African American3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kenary
Kenary 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-7 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,344 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,080 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 15,344 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,080 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 Kenary 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 | #144,141 | #147,221 | -2.1% |
| Count | 115 | 113 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kenary bearers went from 115 to 113 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,080 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #147,221.
FAQ
Kenary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kenary?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Kenary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Kenary?
Kenary 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 Kenary. 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 Kenary.
Has Kenary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kenary went from 115 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Kenary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kenary, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kenary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kenary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Black (3.5%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kenary (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 Kenary mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupational nickname. 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 Kenary (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 surname Kenary?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.