2000
#14,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,859
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Kerry
An Irish toponymic surname derived from Ciarraí, referring to the Kingdom of Ciarraí in southwestern Ireland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,897 Americans carry the last name Kerry. That puts it at #16,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 180,682 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kerry 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 Kerry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 180,682
Census rank
#16,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,654 bearers of the surname Kerry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerry, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kerry
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerry, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kerry 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 Kerry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 1,287
- Black or African American11.5% · 191
- Two or more races4.7% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kerry
Kerry 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
#14,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,043
+184 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 85 places
2020
#16,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,654
-389 bearers (-19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Down 2,216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,664 | 1,859 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,579 | 2,043 | 0.69 | +184 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 85 places |
| 2020 | #16,795 | 1,654 | 0.55 | -389 bearers (-19.0%) | Down 2,216 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 Kerry 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 | #14,579 | #16,795 | -15.2% |
| Count | 2,043 | 1,654 | -19.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.55 | -19.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kerry bearers went from 2,043 to 1,654 (-19.0% change). The surname moved down 2,216 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,579 to #16,795.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kerry
FAQ
Kerry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kerry?
Name Census estimates that about 1,897 living Americans carry the surname Kerry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 180,682 residents.
How common is Kerry?
Kerry ranks #16,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.55 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 1,654 people with the surname Kerry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,897), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.55 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 Kerry.
Has Kerry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kerry went from 2,043 recorded bearers to 1,654. That is a decrease of 389 (-19.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,579 to #16,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Kerry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerry, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Kerry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (1,287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kerry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (11.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Kerry (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 Kerry mean?
An Irish toponymic surname derived from Ciarraí, referring to the Kingdom of Ciarraí in southwestern Ireland. 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 Kerry (0.55 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 have the last name Kerry?
Find out how common the surname Kerry is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.