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

Kidd, 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 Kidd surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kidd in America

Kidd is the 1060th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kidd surname appeared 33,186 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Kidd.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kidd 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 Kidd

The surname Kidd originated in England and Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle English word "kid" or "kyd," which means "young goat." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with goats or had some association with these animals.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kidd can be found in the Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, a collection of inquisitions held after the death of English landowners, where a John Kyd was mentioned in Yorkshire in 1379.

The Kidd surname is also found in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1230, which lists a William Kyd, and the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where a Walter Kyd is recorded.

In Scotland, the name Kidd is believed to have originated in the Lowlands, particularly in the areas of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, and Lanarkshire. The earliest known Scottish bearer of the name was John Kyd, who was mentioned in the records of the Burgh of Glasgow in 1454.

Notable individuals with the surname Kidd throughout history include:

1. William Kidd (c. 1645-1701), a Scottish sailor who was tried and executed for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean. He is one of the most famous pirates in history.

2. Thomas Kidd (1733-1804), a Scottish-American captain and early settler in New Jersey, who played a role in the American Revolutionary War.

3. John Kidd (1775-1851), a Scottish theologian and philosopher who served as a minister in the Church of Scotland and wrote several influential works.

4. Samuel Kidd (1804-1843), an English civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway.

5. William Kidd (1839-1923), a Scottish-American inventor and businessman who founded the Kidd Brothers Dash Company, a manufacturer of carriage and automobile hardware.

The Kidd surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Kiddington in Oxfordshire, England, and Kidderminster in Worcestershire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname in certain regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kidd

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

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

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

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