2000
#1,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,266
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.74
Uncommon Last name
Kendrick
An English surname derived from the Old English words "cyning" and "rīc," meaning "royal power" or "king's rule."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,978 Americans carry the last name Kendrick. That puts it at #1,319 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,434 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kendrick 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 Kendrick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,434
Census rank
#1,319
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,142 bearers of the surname Kendrick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1319th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kendrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kendrick
The surname Kendrick has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cyne" meaning royal or kingly, and "ric" meaning power or dominion. This combination suggests that the name was initially bestowed upon someone of noble or regal descent, or perhaps someone who held a position of authority or governance.
The earliest known records of the name Kendrick can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Kenric" and "Chenric". This comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror, serves as a valuable historical reference for surname origins.
Over the centuries, the name Kendrick has undergone various spelling variations, including Kenrick, Kendricke, Kendriche, and Kendrych. These variations often reflect regional dialects and the evolution of language over time.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the name Kendrick was Sir William Kendrick (c. 1360 - 1427), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire during the reign of Henry IV.
In the 16th century, the name Kendrick gained further prominence with the birth of John Kendrick (1537 - 1624), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Berkshire.
Another significant figure in history was Thomas Kendrick (1774 - 1841), an English engraver and landscape painter renowned for his intricate copper engravings depicting picturesque landscapes and architectural scenes.
The name Kendrick is also associated with place names in England, such as Kendrick's Close in Oxfordshire, which potentially derived its name from an earlier landowner or resident bearing the surname.
In the 19th century, Joseph Kendrick (1788 - 1865), an English Congregationalist minister and author, made significant contributions to religious literature with his published works on theology and Christian doctrine.
The surname Kendrick continues to be found across various regions of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and global dispersion of English families over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kendrick
Among Census respondents with the surname Kendrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kendrick 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 Kendrick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.6% · 16,365
- Black or African American28.9% · 7,555
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,162
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 844
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 122
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kendrick
Kendrick 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
#1,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,915
+1,649 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 9.46
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#1,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,142
-1,773 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 8.75
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,222 | 26,266 | 9.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,259 | 27,915 | 9.46 | +1,649 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #1,319 | 26,142 | 8.75 | -1,773 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 60 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 Kendrick 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 | #1,259 | #1,319 | -4.8% |
| Count | 27,915 | 26,142 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 9.46 | 8.75 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kendrick bearers went from 27,915 to 26,142 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,259 to #1,319.
FAQ
Kendrick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kendrick?
Name Census estimates that about 29,978 living Americans carry the surname Kendrick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,434 residents.
How common is Kendrick?
Kendrick ranks #1,319 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,142 people with the surname Kendrick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,978), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Kendrick.
Has Kendrick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kendrick went from 27,915 recorded bearers to 26,142. That is a decrease of 1,773 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,259 to #1,319.
What does the Census say about the background of Kendrick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kendrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Kendrick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (16,365 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kendrick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.6%), Black (28.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Kendrick (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 Kendrick mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English words "cyning" and "rīc," meaning "royal power" or "king's rule." 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 Kendrick (8.75 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 Kendrick?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Kendrick on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.