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

Kesson, 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 Kesson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kesson in America

Kesson is the 126765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kesson surname appeared 135 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kesson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kesson 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 Kesson

The surname Kesson originated in Scotland in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Cisionach, which means "the victor" or "triumphant one". The name first appeared in records from the county of Fife, where it was particularly prevalent in the area around St. Andrews.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Kesson can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, which mention a William Keson who was a landowner in Fife. The name also appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.

In the 15th century, the Kessons were prominent in the Scottish clan system, and were closely associated with the powerful Clan MacDuff. Several members of the Kesson family were noted warriors and took part in the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English.

One of the most famous Kessons was Sir John Kesson, who was born in 1475 and served as a knight and ambassador for King James IV of Scotland. He was sent on diplomatic missions to France and Spain, and played a key role in negotiating the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with England in 1502.

Another notable figure was William Kesson, born in 1620, who was a prominent Presbyterian minister and one of the leading figures in the Scottish Covenanter movement. He was imprisoned and exiled for his opposition to the religious policies of King Charles II.

In the 18th century, the Kesson name was well-established in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Fife, Perthshire, and Angus. One member of the family, Robert Kesson (1734-1805), was a successful merchant and shipowner based in the town of Dundee.

The Kessons also played a role in the Scottish diaspora, with many members of the family emigrating to North America, Australia, and other parts of the British Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries. One such figure was James Kesson (1828-1910), who was born in Fife and became a prominent farmer and community leader after settling in Ontario, Canada.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kesson

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

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

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

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