2000
#998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,886
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.82
Uncommon Last name
Kidd
A nickname-derived surname referring to a young goat, or a child or young man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,773 Americans carry the last name Kidd. That puts it at #1,074 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,321 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kidd 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 Kidd with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,321
Census rank
#1,074
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,068 bearers of the surname Kidd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1074th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kidd, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kidd
Among Census respondents with the surname Kidd, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kidd 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 Kidd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.3% · 23,197
- Black or African American19.2% · 6,144
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,388
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 987
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 208
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 144
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kidd
Kidd 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
#1,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,186
+1,300 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 11.25
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,068
-1,118 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 10.73
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #998 | 31,886 | 11.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,060 | 33,186 | 11.25 | +1,300 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,074 | 32,068 | 10.73 | -1,118 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 14 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 Kidd 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 | #1,060 | #1,074 | -1.3% |
| Count | 33,186 | 32,068 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 11.25 | 10.73 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kidd bearers went from 33,186 to 32,068 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,060 to #1,074.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kidd
FAQ
Kidd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kidd?
Name Census estimates that about 36,773 living Americans carry the surname Kidd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,321 residents.
How common is Kidd?
Kidd ranks #1,074 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,068 people with the surname Kidd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,773), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Kidd.
Has Kidd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kidd went from 33,186 recorded bearers to 32,068. That is a decrease of 1,118 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,060 to #1,074.
What does the Census say about the background of Kidd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kidd, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Kidd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.3% (23,197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kidd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.3%), Black (19.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Kidd (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 Kidd mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to a young goat, or a child or young man. 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 Kidd (10.73 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 Kidd?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.