2000
#4,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.97
Rare Last name
Kersey
Derived from a place name meaning "watercress island" in Old English, referring to someone who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,959 Americans carry the last name Kersey. That puts it at #4,397 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,258 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kersey 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 Kersey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,258
Census rank
#4,397
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,813 bearers of the surname Kersey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4397th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kersey, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kersey
The surname Kersey has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cirse" and "eg," which together translate to "cherry island." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a place where cherry trees grew abundantly on an island or near a river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kersey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Kerseia," referring to a settlement in Suffolk, England. This village likely gave rise to the surname, with individuals adopting it as a means of identifying their place of origin.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named John de Kersey was mentioned in historical records from Suffolk. He was a landowner and played a role in local affairs during that time. Another early bearer of the name was William de Kersey, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273.
During the 16th century, the surname Kersey gained prominence through the work of John Kersey, an English mathematician and writer born in 1616. He authored several influential works, including "The Elements of Algebra" and "The Elements of Mathematical Art." His contributions to the field of mathematics and education were significant.
In the literary realm, Thomas Kersey, born in 1669, was an English poet and playwright. He is best known for his satirical works, including "The Honourable Frolic" and "The Smock-Alley Fair." His witty and often biting commentary on contemporary society earned him recognition among his peers.
Another notable figure was Sir John Kersey, a British naval officer who lived from 1724 to 1801. He served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and played a crucial role in several important naval battles, earning him respect and admiration for his bravery and leadership.
Over the centuries, the Kersey surname has been associated with various places in England, including Kersey in Suffolk, as well as settlements in Essex, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire, among others. Variations in spelling, such as Kersie, Kersy, and Kersee, were also present throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kersey
Among Census respondents with the surname Kersey, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kersey 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 Kersey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 6,315
- Black or African American10.6% · 830
- Two or more races4.1% · 324
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 248
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kersey
Kersey 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
#4,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,459
+438 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.87
Rank movement Down 102 places
2020
#4,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,813
-646 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 208 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,087 | 8,021 | 2.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,189 | 8,459 | 2.87 | +438 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 102 places |
| 2020 | #4,397 | 7,813 | 2.61 | -646 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 208 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 Kersey 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 | #4,189 | #4,397 | -5.0% |
| Count | 8,459 | 7,813 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.87 | 2.61 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kersey bearers went from 8,459 to 7,813 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 208 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,189 to #4,397.
FAQ
Kersey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kersey?
Name Census estimates that about 8,959 living Americans carry the surname Kersey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,258 residents.
How common is Kersey?
Kersey ranks #4,397 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,813 people with the surname Kersey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,959), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kersey.
Has Kersey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kersey went from 8,459 recorded bearers to 7,813. That is a decrease of 646 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,189 to #4,397.
What does the Census say about the background of Kersey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kersey, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Kersey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (6,315 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kersey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Kersey (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 Kersey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "watercress island" in Old English, referring to someone who lived there. 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 Kersey (2.61 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 Kersey?
Want to know how many people are called Kersey? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.