2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kennicker
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cinnéideigh or Ó Cionaoith, derived from Irish personal names.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Kennicker. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kennicker 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Kennicker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kennicker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kennicker
The surname Kennicker is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "cene," meaning bold or brave, and the suffix "-icker," denoting someone who possesses a particular quality or trait. This suggests that the name initially referred to a courageous individual.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable mention is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, dated 1327, which lists a certain John Kenicker as a landowner in the region.
Interestingly, the name has undergone several variations in spelling over the centuries, including Kenicker, Kennicker, Keneker, and Kenneker. These variations often reflected regional dialectal differences or were the result of scribal errors in transcribing the name.
The name has also been associated with certain place names, particularly in areas where early bearers of the surname settled. For instance, the village of Kennick in Devon, England, may have derived its name from the Kennicker family who once resided there.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Kennicker surname. One such figure was Sir Robert Kennicker (1567-1636), a prominent English landowner and member of Parliament during the reign of King James I. Another was Jonathan Kennicker (1695-1772), a successful merchant and philanthropist in colonial Boston, known for his contributions to the establishment of Harvard College.
In the literary realm, the name gained recognition through the works of the English novelist and playwright, Elizabeth Kennicker (1820-1891), whose writings often explored themes of social injustice and the plight of the working class.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Kennicker surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset in England, where several families bearing the name were recorded in parish records and census documents.
Notably, the Kennicker family crest, featuring a lion rampant on a field of azure, symbolized the courage and strength associated with the name's origins, reflecting the qualities attributed to its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kennicker
Among Census respondents with the surname Kennicker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kennicker 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 Kennicker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 106
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kennicker
Kennicker 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,612 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,612 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 5,884 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 Kennicker 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 | #149,395 | #143,511 | 3.9% |
| Count | 110 | 118 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kennicker bearers went from 110 to 118 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 5,884 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #143,511.
FAQ
Kennicker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kennicker?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Kennicker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Kennicker?
Kennicker ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Kennicker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Kennicker.
Has Kennicker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kennicker went from 110 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Kennicker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kennicker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Kennicker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kennicker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Kennicker (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 Kennicker mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cinnéideigh or Ó Cionaoith, derived from Irish personal names. 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 Kennicker (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 Americans have the surname Kennicker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.