2000
#10,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,817
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Kilian
Derived from the Irish name "Cillián," meaning "little church," likely referring to someone who lived near a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,135 Americans carry the last name Kilian. That puts it at #11,081 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,332 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kilian 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 Kilian with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,332
Census rank
#11,081
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,734 bearers of the surname Kilian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11081st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilian, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kilian
The surname Kilian originated in Germany and is derived from the Latin name Kilianus. The name traces its roots back to the 7th century when St. Kilianus, an Irish missionary, travelled to Franconia, a region in modern-day Germany, to spread Christianity.
St. Kilianus, along with his companions, is credited with establishing the first church in Würzburg, Bavaria. His life and martyrdom are documented in various historical records, including the Vita Kiliani, written in the 9th century by a monk named Hygeburhc.
The earliest known usage of the surname Kilian can be found in the Codex Traditiones Possessionesque, a manuscript dating back to the 11th century, which records land transactions and property ownership in the region around Würzburg.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kilian was Henricus Kilian, a scribe and calligrapher who lived in Strasbourg, France, in the late 15th century. He is known for his beautiful handwritten manuscripts and his work in the printing industry.
In the 16th century, Lukas Kilian, a German engraver and publisher, was a prominent figure in the world of printmaking. His work included portraiture, religious engravings, and illustrations for books. He was born in Augsburg in 1579 and died in the same city in 1637.
Another notable figure with the surname Kilian was Philipp Andreas Kilian, a German composer and organist who lived from 1714 to 1759. He composed numerous church cantatas and organ works and served as the court organist for the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.
In the 19th century, Hermann Friedrich Kilian was a German botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in South Africa. He was born in 1800 in Kirchheimbolanden and led several expeditions to the Cape region, collecting and documenting various plant species.
The surname Kilian can also be found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Kilianstädten, a town in Hesse, and Kilianshöhe, a district in Würzburg. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname Kilian who settled or held land in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kilian
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilian, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kilian 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 Kilian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,503
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 96
- Two or more races3.3% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 24
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kilian
Kilian 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
#10,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,065
+248 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 20 places
2020
#11,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,734
-331 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 601 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,460 | 2,817 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,480 | 3,065 | 1.04 | +248 bearers (+8.8%) | Down 20 places |
| 2020 | #11,081 | 2,734 | 0.91 | -331 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 601 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 Kilian 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 | #10,480 | #11,081 | -5.7% |
| Count | 3,065 | 2,734 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.91 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kilian bearers went from 3,065 to 2,734 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 601 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,480 to #11,081.
FAQ
Kilian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kilian?
Name Census estimates that about 3,135 living Americans carry the surname Kilian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,332 residents.
How common is Kilian?
Kilian ranks #11,081 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,734 people with the surname Kilian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kilian.
Has Kilian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kilian went from 3,065 recorded bearers to 2,734. That is a decrease of 331 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,480 to #11,081.
What does the Census say about the background of Kilian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilian, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Kilian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,503 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kilian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Kilian (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 Kilian mean?
Derived from the Irish name "Cillián," meaning "little church," likely referring to someone who lived near a church. 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 Kilian (0.91 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 Kilian?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.