2000
#1,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,524
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.94
Uncommon Last name
Kendall
From the Old English "cyne" and "dæl," meaning "royal valley" or "the bright valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,253 Americans carry the last name Kendall. That puts it at #1,188 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kendall 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 Kendall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,307
Census rank
#1,188
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,998 bearers of the surname Kendall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1188th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kendall, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kendall
The surname Kendall has its origins in the ancient region of Cumbria, located in the northwest of England. It is derived from the Old English words "cyne" meaning royal or kingly, and "dell" meaning a valley. The name therefore translates to "the royal valley."
The earliest recorded reference to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Kenedalle." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of landholdings and populations across England.
The name Kendall has strong ties to the town of Kendal, located in the Lake District region of Cumbria. This town was once a thriving center for the wool trade, and the Kendall family was prominent in this industry. In the 13th century, the Kendale Barony was established, encompassing much of the surrounding area.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Kendall was Richard de Kendall, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Westmorland in 1212. Another notable figure was William Kendall, a merchant from Kendal who served as the mayor of the town in the late 15th century.
As the name spread beyond its original geographic region, variations in spelling emerged, such as Kendale, Kendal, and Kendale. The Kendall family also established itself in other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lancashire.
In the 16th century, the renowned English poet and playwright Thomas Kendall (1548-1609) was born in Yorkshire. He is best known for his work "Flowers of Epigrammes," published in 1577.
Another notable individual with the Kendall surname was Miles Kendall (1570-1624), a captain in the British East India Company. He is credited with establishing the first English settlement in India, at Surat, in 1612.
In the 18th century, John Kendall (1726-1815) was a prominent English architect who designed numerous buildings, including the Grecian Hall in Chiswick, London.
George Wilkins Kendall (1809-1867), an American journalist and author, is known for his writings on the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War. He served as a war correspondent and published several books, including "Narrative of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kendall
Among Census respondents with the surname Kendall, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kendall 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 Kendall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 24,084
- Black or African American8.4% · 2,428
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,171
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 927
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 235
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 153
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kendall
Kendall 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
#1,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,209
+1,685 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 10.58
Rank movement Down 44 places
2020
#1,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,998
-2,211 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 9.70
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,082 | 29,524 | 10.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,126 | 31,209 | 10.58 | +1,685 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 44 places |
| 2020 | #1,188 | 28,998 | 9.70 | -2,211 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 62 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 Kendall 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 | #1,126 | #1,188 | -5.5% |
| Count | 31,209 | 28,998 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 10.58 | 9.70 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kendall bearers went from 31,209 to 28,998 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,126 to #1,188.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kendall
FAQ
Kendall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kendall?
Name Census estimates that about 33,253 living Americans carry the surname Kendall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,307 residents.
How common is Kendall?
Kendall ranks #1,188 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,998 people with the surname Kendall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Kendall.
Has Kendall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kendall went from 31,209 recorded bearers to 28,998. That is a decrease of 2,211 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,126 to #1,188.
What does the Census say about the background of Kendall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kendall, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Kendall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (24,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kendall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (8.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Kendall (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 Kendall mean?
From the Old English "cyne" and "dæl," meaning "royal valley" or "the bright valley." 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 Kendall (9.70 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 are called Kendall?
See how many people have the surname Kendall on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.