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

Kilgore, 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 Kilgore surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kilgore in America

Kilgore is the 1667th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kilgore surname appeared 21,627 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Kilgore.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kilgore 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 Kilgore

The surname Kilgore is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "cill" meaning church and "gobhair" meaning goat. It is believed that the name originated in the Scottish Highlands in the early 12th century, referring to someone who lived near a church or a churchyard where goats were commonly found.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Kilgore dates back to 1296, when a William de Kylgour is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homages sworn to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles. This suggests that the name may have been anglicized to Kilgore from the original Gaelic form during this period.

In the 16th century, the name Kilgore appeared in various records and manuscripts, such as the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, where a John Kilgour is mentioned in 1545. The spelling variations during this time included Kilgour, Kilgoure, and Kilgore.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Kilgore was Sir Robert Kilgour, a Scottish merchant and burgess of Aberdeen, who lived from 1532 to 1599. He played a significant role in the development of trade and commerce in the city.

Another prominent individual was David Kilgour, born in 1682, who served as the Lord of Session, a judge in the College of Justice in Scotland, from 1735 until his death in 1760.

In the 19th century, John Kilgour (1835-1912) was a prominent Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Kilgour Library in Islington, London.

James Kilgore (1850-1928), a Scottish-American politician, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas from 1901 to 1913.

Lastly, Merritt Kilgore (1861-1939) was an American politician and businessman from Texas, who served as the Mayor of Corpus Christi from 1909 to 1915.

The surname Kilgore has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands, and its variations have been documented in various records and manuscripts throughout the centuries, with notable individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kilgore

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

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

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

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