2000
#6,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,666
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Kennard
From the Old English "Cyneheard," meaning "brave or hardy advisor," an occupational surname for a royal counselor or wise man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,220 Americans carry the last name Kennard. That puts it at #7,085 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kennard 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 Kennard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,662
Census rank
#7,085
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,552 bearers of the surname Kennard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7085th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kennard, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kennard
The surname KENNARD is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name Cyna and the Old English word "ard" meaning "hardy" or "brave." It was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Chenard" and referred to a person residing in Dorset.
The name is believed to have originated in the county of Dorset, England, in the 11th century. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Kenard, Kennarde, and Kennerth, before the modern spelling of KENNARD became standardized.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Richard Kennard, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1203. Another early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a William Kennard.
The name KENNARD has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir Robert KENNARD (1572-1638) was an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1635.
Another prominent figure was Thomas KENNARD (1786-1864), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Exchange and the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.
In the United States, the KENNARD family has a long history, with one of the earliest recorded bearers being John KENNARD, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. William KENNARD (1790-1862) was an American politician and jurist who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio.
Other notable individuals with the surname KENNARD include Sir Coleridge KENNARD (1885-1948), a British diplomat and civil servant, and Robert Dudley KENNARD (1895-1957), an American businessman and philanthropist.
The KENNARD name has also been associated with several place names, such as Kennard, Ohio, and Kennard, Nebraska, both named after early settlers with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kennard
Among Census respondents with the surname Kennard, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kennard 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 Kennard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.7% · 3,129
- Black or African American23.1% · 1,051
- Two or more races3.6% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kennard
Kennard 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
#6,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,592
+926 bearers (+19.8%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Up 548 places
2020
#7,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,552
-1,040 bearers (-18.6%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 959 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,674 | 4,666 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,126 | 5,592 | 1.90 | +926 bearers (+19.8%) | Up 548 places |
| 2020 | #7,085 | 4,552 | 1.52 | -1,040 bearers (-18.6%) | Down 959 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 Kennard 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 | #6,126 | #7,085 | -15.7% |
| Count | 5,592 | 4,552 | -18.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 1.52 | -19.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kennard bearers went from 5,592 to 4,552 (-18.6% change). The surname moved down 959 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,126 to #7,085.
FAQ
Kennard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kennard?
Name Census estimates that about 5,220 living Americans carry the surname Kennard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,662 residents.
How common is Kennard?
Kennard ranks #7,085 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,552 people with the surname Kennard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,220), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kennard.
Has Kennard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kennard went from 5,592 recorded bearers to 4,552. That is a decrease of 1,040 (-18.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,126 to #7,085.
What does the Census say about the background of Kennard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kennard, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Kennard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (3,129 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kennard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.7%), Black (23.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Kennard (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 Kennard mean?
From the Old English "Cyneheard," meaning "brave or hardy advisor," an occupational surname for a royal counselor or wise man. 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 Kennard (1.52 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 Kennard?
Want to know how many people have the surname Kennard? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.