2000
#9,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Kenworthy
From the English place name Kenworthy, likely meaning "Cyna's enclosure" or "enclosure by the royal manor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,515 Americans carry the last name Kenworthy. That puts it at #10,032 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,512 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kenworthy 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 Kenworthy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,512
Census rank
#10,032
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,065 bearers of the surname Kenworthy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10032nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kenworthy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kenworthy
The surname Kenworthy originated in England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "cyne" meaning royal or kingly and "worth" meaning an enclosed homestead or settlement. The name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a royal estate or manor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kenworthy can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1194, where it appears as "Kenwordhi". This suggests that the name was well-established in the Yorkshire region by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Kenewrthe", "Kenewurthe", and "Kenewurthy" in records from Lancashire and Cheshire. These variants reflect the local dialects and spellings of the time.
The Kenworthy name is also mentioned in the Chartulary of Whalley Abbey, a medieval manuscript from Lancashire, dated around 1300. This indicates that families bearing this surname were present in the area during the early medieval period.
One notable individual with the surname Kenworthy was John Kenworthy, a 16th-century English clergyman who served as the Rector of Blackburn in Lancashire from 1558 to 1595.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Kenworthy family resided in Padiham, Lancashire. Richard Kenworthy (1608-1672) was a prominent landowner and yeoman farmer in the area.
During the English Civil War, Captain Thomas Kenworthy (1620-1685) fought on the Parliamentarian side and was involved in the siege of Lathom House in Lancashire in 1644.
Another individual of note was Samuel Kenworthy (1696-1768), a Quaker minister from Yorkshire who traveled extensively preaching and writing on religious matters.
The Kenworthy surname also has a long association with the town of Oldham in Greater Manchester. One of the earliest recorded Kenworthys in Oldham was John Kenworthy (1724-1799), a successful textile merchant and landowner.
In summary, the surname Kenworthy has its origins in medieval England, particularly in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. It has a long and storied history, with various individuals bearing the name making their mark in fields such as religion, military service, and commerce over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kenworthy
Among Census respondents with the surname Kenworthy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kenworthy 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 Kenworthy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 2,774
- Two or more races3.9% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kenworthy
Kenworthy 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
#9,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,248
+192 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 171 places
2020
#10,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,065
-183 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,761 | 3,056 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,932 | 3,248 | 1.10 | +192 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 171 places |
| 2020 | #10,032 | 3,065 | 1.03 | -183 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 100 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 Kenworthy 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 | #9,932 | #10,032 | -1.0% |
| Count | 3,248 | 3,065 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.03 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kenworthy bearers went from 3,248 to 3,065 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,932 to #10,032.
FAQ
Kenworthy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kenworthy?
Name Census estimates that about 3,515 living Americans carry the surname Kenworthy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,512 residents.
How common is Kenworthy?
Kenworthy ranks #10,032 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,065 people with the surname Kenworthy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,515), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kenworthy.
Has Kenworthy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kenworthy went from 3,248 recorded bearers to 3,065. That is a decrease of 183 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,932 to #10,032.
What does the Census say about the background of Kenworthy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kenworthy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Kenworthy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (2,774 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kenworthy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Kenworthy (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 Kenworthy mean?
From the English place name Kenworthy, likely meaning "Cyna's enclosure" or "enclosure by the royal manor." 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 Kenworthy (1.03 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 Kenworthy?
See how many people are called Kenworthy on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.