2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kermeen
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Ciarmuaidh which means descendant of the dark one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Kermeen. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kermeen 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Kermeen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kermeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kermeen
The surname Kermeen originated in Cornwall, England, emerging sometime in the 16th century. It is derived from the Cornish language term "ker" meaning a homestead or settlement, and "meen" meaning stone or rocky place. This suggests the name likely referred to someone who lived near a stone dwelling or in a rocky area.
Some of the earliest records of the name can be found in parish registers from the late 1500s and early 1600s in the Cornish villages of St. Buryan, Sancreed, and Madron. Variant spellings from this era include Kermeen, Kermene, and Kermyn.
In 1642, during the English Civil War, a John Kermeen is recorded as having served in the Cornish militia forces loyal to the Royalist cause. A few decades later, in 1695, a Thomas Kermeen was listed as a landowner in the parish of St. Buryan.
The name appears to have remained primarily concentrated in Cornwall for several centuries, with families often tied to fishing villages or mining communities. A notable early bearer was William Kermeen (1770-1848), a prosperous tin mine operator from St. Just.
As the industrial revolution prompted migration, the name began spreading to other parts of Britain. One example is Henry Kermeen (1812-1892), a Cornish-born civil engineer who worked on railway projects in Wales and northern England.
Another influential figure was Richard Basil Kermeen (1868-1949), a pioneering British colonial administrator who served as the Resident Commissioner of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate in the early 20th century.
While not as prevalent as some other Cornish surnames, the name Kermeen has endured over several centuries, reflecting its origins rooted in the rocky landscape and historic settlements of Cornwall.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kermeen
Among Census respondents with the surname Kermeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kermeen 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 Kermeen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Black or African American3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kermeen
Kermeen 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-18 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,811 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+5 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,092 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 23,811 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 2,092 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 Kermeen 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 | #144,141 | #142,049 | 1.5% |
| Count | 115 | 120 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kermeen bearers went from 115 to 120 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 2,092 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #142,049.
FAQ
Kermeen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kermeen?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Kermeen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Kermeen?
Kermeen ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Kermeen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Kermeen.
Has Kermeen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kermeen went from 115 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 5 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Kermeen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kermeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Kermeen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kermeen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Black (3.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Kermeen (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 Kermeen mean?
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Ciarmuaidh which means descendant of the dark one. 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 Kermeen (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 common is the surname Kermeen?
You can see how many people are called Kermeen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.