2000
#20,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,220
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Kilgo
An English surname derived from a place name, likely of Old English origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,316 Americans carry the last name Kilgo. That puts it at #22,906 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 260,452 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kilgo 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
1.3K
1 in 260,452
Census rank
#22,906
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,148 bearers of the surname Kilgo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22906th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilgo, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kilgo
The surname KILGO is believed to have originated in Scotland, with its roots tracing back to the late 16th or early 17th century. It is thought to have derived from the Scottish Gaelic words "coille" meaning "wood" and "gobhar" meaning "goat," potentially referring to someone who lived in a wooded area or worked with goats.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the Parish of Kilwinning in Ayrshire, Scotland, where a James Kilgo was recorded as a landowner in the late 1600s. Similar spellings such as "Kilgour" and "Kilgore" were also documented in the region during this time period.
In the 18th century, the KILGO surname began appearing in various historical documents, including court records and property deeds. One notable individual was John Kilgo, a merchant from Glasgow who was involved in the transatlantic trade with the American colonies in the mid-1700s.
As the name spread beyond Scotland, it took on various spellings and adaptations. In the United States, the KILGO surname can be traced back to the early 19th century, with some of the earliest recorded instances found in Virginia and North Carolina.
Among the notable individuals bearing the KILGO surname throughout history are:
1. Robert Kilgo (1861-1943), an American educator and president of Trinity College (now Duke University) from 1910 to 1924.
2. William Kilgo (1887-1968), an American businessman and co-founder of the Kilgo Furniture Company in North Carolina.
3. Mary Kilgo (1920-2007), an American author and playwright known for her works on Southern culture and history.
4. James Kilgo (1941-2005), an American novelist and educator who served as the director of the creative writing program at the University of Arkansas.
5. John Kilgo (1932-2000), an American football coach who led teams at various universities, including Mississippi State and Memphis State.
While the KILGO surname may not be as widespread as some others, it has left its mark in various fields, from education and literature to business and sports, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kilgo
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilgo, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kilgo 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 Kilgo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.4% · 785
- Black or African American22.6% · 259
- Two or more races5.5% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kilgo
Kilgo 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
#20,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,255
+35 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 687 places
2020
#22,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,148
-107 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 1,935 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,284 | 1,220 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,971 | 1,255 | 0.43 | +35 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 687 places |
| 2020 | #22,906 | 1,148 | 0.38 | -107 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 1,935 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 Kilgo 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 | #20,971 | #22,906 | -9.2% |
| Count | 1,255 | 1,148 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.38 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kilgo bearers went from 1,255 to 1,148 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 1,935 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,971 to #22,906.
FAQ
Kilgo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kilgo?
Name Census estimates that about 1,316 living Americans carry the surname Kilgo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 260,452 residents.
How common is Kilgo?
Kilgo ranks #22,906 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,148 people with the surname Kilgo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kilgo.
Has Kilgo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kilgo went from 1,255 recorded bearers to 1,148. That is a decrease of 107 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,971 to #22,906.
What does the Census say about the background of Kilgo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilgo, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Kilgo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (785 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kilgo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.4%), Black (22.6%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Kilgo (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 Kilgo mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, likely of Old English origin. 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 Kilgo (0.38 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 share the surname Kilgo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.