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

Kilbane, 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 Kilbane surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kilbane in America

Kilbane is the 24747th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kilbane surname appeared 1,007 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 Kilbane.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kilbane 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 Kilbane

The surname Kilbane is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in County Galway, where it was initially spelled as Kilbaun or Kilbayne. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "Cill Bán," which translate to "white church" or "white cell."

The earliest known record of the name Kilbane appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle that covers events in Ireland from the earliest times to the 17th century. The Annals mention a "Teige Kilbane" in the year 1570, who was involved in a local conflict in County Galway.

In the 17th century, the Kilbane name was found in various parts of Connacht, particularly in counties Galway and Mayo. Records from this period show the name being spelled in different ways, such as Kilbane, Kilbaun, and Kilbayne, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common at the time.

One notable bearer of the Kilbane surname was John Kilbane (c. 1770-1846), an Irish Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools in County Mayo. Another was Michael Kilbane (1825-1899), a prominent Irish nationalist and member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, who actively supported the cause of Irish independence during the 19th century.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Kilbanes emigrated from Ireland to the United States and other parts of the world. One well-known Kilbane was Johnny Kilbane (1889-1972), an American professional boxer who held the World Featherweight Championship from 1912 to 1923. He was born in Ohio to Irish immigrant parents and is considered one of the greatest featherweight boxers of all time.

Another notable figure was Thomas Joseph Kilbane (1876-1947), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from 1913 to 1915 and again from 1923 to 1925. He was born in Ohio to Irish immigrant parents and was the brother of boxer Johnny Kilbane.

In more recent times, the surname Kilbane has been associated with several authors and academics, including John Kilbane (born 1944), an American writer and professor of English literature, and Philip Kilbane (born 1958), an Irish poet and academic who has published several collections of poetry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kilbane

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

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

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

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