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

Kepley, 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 Kepley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kepley in America

Kepley is the 16734th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kepley surname appeared 1,709 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 Kepley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kepley 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 Kepley

The surname Kepley has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to derive from the Old English words "cep" and "leah," meaning "a bramble or thicket" and "a clearing or meadow," respectively. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a person who lived near a clearing surrounded by brambles.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a historical document from 1273, which mentions a person named Robert de Keppeleg. This spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time.

During the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across different counties in England. In the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, a certain William Keppelay is mentioned. Similarly, the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield from 1317 reference a John de Keppelay.

As the name spread across England, variations in spelling became more common. In the 16th century, the Kepley spelling emerged prominently in records from Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. Notable figures from this period include John Kepley, a merchant from Bristol, who was born in 1525 and died in 1592.

The 17th century saw the name Kepley established in various parts of England, with records indicating families in counties such as Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Oxfordshire. One notable individual from this time was Thomas Kepley, a landowner from Warwickshire, who was born in 1649 and died in 1712.

As the British Empire expanded, the Kepley name also found its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Samuel Kepley, who arrived in Pennsylvania from England in 1682. He later settled in Virginia and left a lasting legacy, with many descendants carrying the Kepley name.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Kepley name continued to be present in various parts of England and the United States. Notable figures from this period include William Kepley, an English architect born in 1763, and John Kepley, an American soldier who fought in the Civil War and was born in 1837.

While the name Kepley has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with families carrying this surname found in countries such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kepley

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

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 Kepley 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 Kepley 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 Kepley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kepley, 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!