2000
#10,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,835
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Kesterson
Derived from a place name meaning "farm by a watercress bed" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,095 Americans carry the last name Kesterson. That puts it at #11,207 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,745 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kesterson 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.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,745
Census rank
#11,207
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,699 bearers of the surname Kesterson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11207th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kesterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kesterson
The surname Kesterson has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "cester" and "tun," which together mean "town near a Roman camp or fort."
During the Middle Ages, the name was commonly found in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in parish records and tax rolls. Variations in spelling were common, including Kesterton, Kestertun, and Kestretone.
One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Godric de Kestretone in Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name may have originated as a place name before becoming a surname.
In the 13th century, a notable figure was Sir Robert de Kesterson, a knight who fought in the Battle of Evesham in 1265 during the Second Barons' War. His coat of arms and seal have been preserved in historical records.
Another early bearer of the name was John Kesterson, a merchant from York who lived in the late 14th century. Records show that he traded wool and cloth with merchants in the Low Countries.
During the 16th century, the name was found in various parts of England, including the villages of Kesterson in Gloucestershire and Kesterson in Leicestershire. These place names likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname.
In the 17th century, a prominent individual was William Kesterson (1587-1657), a Puritan minister who emigrated to New England and became one of the founders of the town of Stamford, Connecticut.
Another noteworthy figure was Thomas Kesterson (1658-1728), a wealthy landowner and member of Parliament for the borough of Taunton in Somerset during the early 18th century.
As the name spread across England and into other parts of the British Isles, it continued to evolve with various spellings, including Kesterson, Kesturson, and Kesturton.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kesterson
Among Census respondents with the surname Kesterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kesterson 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 Kesterson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,456
- Two or more races4.3% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kesterson
Kesterson 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
#10,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,952
+117 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 381 places
2020
#11,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,699
-253 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,419 | 2,835 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,800 | 2,952 | 1.00 | +117 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 381 places |
| 2020 | #11,207 | 2,699 | 0.90 | -253 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 407 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 Kesterson 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 | #10,800 | #11,207 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,952 | 2,699 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.90 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kesterson bearers went from 2,952 to 2,699 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 407 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,800 to #11,207.
FAQ
Kesterson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kesterson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,095 living Americans carry the surname Kesterson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,745 residents.
How common is Kesterson?
Kesterson ranks #11,207 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,699 people with the surname Kesterson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,095), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Kesterson.
Has Kesterson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kesterson went from 2,952 recorded bearers to 2,699. That is a decrease of 253 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,800 to #11,207.
What does the Census say about the background of Kesterson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kesterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Kesterson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,456 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kesterson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Kesterson (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 Kesterson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "farm by a watercress bed" in Old English. 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 Kesterson (0.90 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 surname Kesterson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.