Find out how popular the last name Kennington is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kennington.

Kennington, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kennington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kennington in America

Kennington is the 16481st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kennington surname appeared 1,743 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kennington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kennington to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kennington

The surname Kennington is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Kennington, which refers to various locations across England, including the well-known district in south London.

The name Kennington is believed to have originated from the Old English words "Cyninga" and "tun," which collectively translate to "the king's town" or "the town of the king's people." This suggests that some of the areas bearing this name may have been associated with royal ownership or governance during the Anglo-Saxon era.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kennington can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landholdings and properties across England following the Norman Conquest. The entry refers to the manor of "Chenintun" in Surrey, which is believed to be the modern-day Kennington in London.

In the 13th century, records show an individual named Walter de Kenyngtone, who was a prominent figure in the city of London during the reign of King Henry III (1216-1272). This early use of the surname suggests that it had already become an established hereditary name by that time.

The name Kennington has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Sir John Kennington (c. 1370-1456), a prominent English soldier and landowner who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was knighted for his service to King Henry V.

Another individual of note was Sir William Kennington (c. 1440-1515), who served as a member of the Privy Council and as the Lord Treasurer of England under King Henry VIII. He played a significant role in the administration of the Tudor monarchy.

In the 16th century, Thomas Kennington (c. 1530-1592) was a notable English translator and poet. He is best known for his translations of works by Italian and French authors, including the works of Petrarch and Ronsard.

The name Kennington has also been associated with places of historical significance. For instance, the Kennington Park in London was once the site of a royal palace, and it hosted various significant events, including the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 and the execution of several rebels during the Cornish Uprising of 1497.

Over the centuries, the surname Kennington has undergone various spellings, including Kenington, Kenyngton, and Kenyngtone, reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kennington

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kennington.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kennington was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kennington has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kennington was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kennington, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!