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

Kerry, 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 Kerry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kerry in America

Kerry is the 14579th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kerry surname appeared 2,043 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 Kerry.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kerry 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 Kerry

The surname Kerry has its origins in Ireland, specifically the county of Kerry in the southwestern part of the country. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic term "Ciarraí," which means "people of Ciar" or "descendants of Ciar." Ciar was a legendary figure in Irish mythology, believed to be an ancient chieftain or king who ruled over the region.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Kerry can be traced back to the 12th century in various Irish annals and chronicles. One notable mention is found in the Annals of Inisfallen, which documented events in the region during the 12th and 13th centuries. The surname was also prominent in the Annals of the Four Masters, a comprehensive chronicle of Irish history compiled in the 17th century.

In the 14th century, the Kerry surname appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Cloyne, which were administrative records of the Church of Ireland. These rolls documented the names of individuals who held lands or paid taxes in the diocese of Cloyne, which encompassed parts of modern-day County Cork and County Kerry.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kerry surname gained prominence in various parts of Ireland, particularly in the counties of Kerry, Cork, and Limerick. Several notable individuals bearing the name emerged during this period, including William Kerry (c. 1585-1663), an Irish lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

In the 18th century, the Kerry surname continued to be well-established in Ireland, with several notable figures bearing the name. One such individual was John Kerry (1737-1809), an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner in Ireland.

Another notable figure with the Kerry surname was Francis Kerry (1800-1879), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who served as the Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe (now part of the Diocese of Kerry) in the mid-19th century.

Beyond Ireland, the Kerry surname also found its way to other parts of the world, particularly in countries with significant Irish migration, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. One prominent American with the Kerry surname was John Forbes Kerry (born 1943), the former United States Secretary of State and Democratic nominee for President in 2004.

The Kerry surname has a rich history deeply rooted in Irish culture and mythology, with its origins tracing back to ancient times. Throughout the centuries, individuals bearing this name have left their mark in various fields, from law and politics to religion and military service.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kerry

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

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

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