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

Kilbourne, 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 Kilbourne surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kilbourne in America

Kilbourne is the 12986th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kilbourne surname appeared 2,364 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kilbourne.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kilbourne 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 Kilbourne

The surname Kilbourne has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cyl" meaning "kiln" and "burna" meaning "stream," suggesting a connection to an area near a stream or river where kilns were located.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Kilbourne can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England, completed in 1086 under the direction of William the Conqueror. It mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Chilburne, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the surname.

During the Middle Ages, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire, where several villages and hamlets bore similar names, such as Kilburn, Kilborne, and Kilbourne. These place names likely influenced the evolution of the surname.

One notable figure in the history of the Kilbourne name was Sir John Kilbourne, who lived in the 14th century and served as a knight and landowner in Wiltshire. Another was William Kilbourne, born in 1616, who was among the early Puritan settlers in Massachusetts Bay Colony and became a prominent figure in the town of Rowley.

In the 17th century, the Kilbourne family played a significant role in the English Civil War. Colonel Thomas Kilbourne (1619-1682) was a staunch Parliamentarian and served under Oliver Cromwell's command during the conflict.

As the Kilbourne family spread across England and later to the American colonies, various spellings emerged, including Kilborn, Kilbourn, and Kilburn. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was James Kilbourne (1770-1850), an American surveyor and politician who co-founded the city of Columbus, Ohio.

Another notable figure was John Kilbourne (1786-1857), an American Baptist minister and educator who served as the first president of Brown University from 1799 to 1826, playing a crucial role in the institution's early development.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kilbourne

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

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

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

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