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

Kerwin, 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 Kerwin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kerwin in America

Kerwin is the 8635th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kerwin surname appeared 3,808 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 Kerwin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kerwin 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 Kerwin

The surname Kerwin originated in Ireland and is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic name Ciarán, which means "little dark one" or "descendant of Ciar." The name Ciar was an ancient Irish personal name, and the suffix "-án" was used as a diminutive.

Kerwin is an anglicized version of the Irish surname Ó Ciarán or Ó Ciaráin, which means "descendant of Ciarán." The prefix "Ó" signifies "grandson" or "descendant of" in Irish. The name was initially found in County Mayo, where the Ó Ciaráin sept (clan) was based.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kerwin can be traced back to the 13th century in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention several members of the Ó Ciaráin family, including Maolmuire Ó Ciaráin, who was recorded as the Bishop of Annaghdown in County Galway in 1249.

In medieval times, the Kerwin family was prominent in County Mayo, particularly in the area around Ballina and Crossmolina. They held significant landholdings and played a role in local politics and affairs.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname underwent various spelling variations, such as Kerwin, Kerwan, Kerwan, and Kirwin, due to the anglicization of Irish names and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.

Notable individuals with the surname Kerwin throughout history include:

1. Matilda Kerwin (c. 1600s), an Irish woman who was one of the first settlers in the American colony of Maryland in the 17th century.
2. John Kerwin (1765-1848), an Irish-born American merchant and politician who served as Mayor of Baltimore from 1826 to 1828.
3. Joseph P. Kerwin (1932-2019), an American astronaut and physician who was part of the Skylab 2 mission in 1973, spending 28 days in space.
4. William Kerwin (1837-1916), an Irish-born American prelate who served as the Bishop of Fort Wayne from 1893 to 1916.
5. Kathleen Kerwin (born 1957), a Canadian academic and the current President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia.

The surname Kerwin continues to be found predominantly in Ireland, particularly in Counties Mayo, Galway, and Sligo, as well as among Irish diaspora communities around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kerwin

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kerwin, please contact us.

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