2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kilkeary
Irish surname originating from a place name meaning "church of the meadow/marsh".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kilkeary. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kilkeary 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kilkeary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilkeary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kilkeary
The surname KILKEARY is of Irish origin, originating in County Cork in the early medieval period. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic "Cill Chéire," meaning "the church of Céire." Céire was an Irish saint who founded a monastery in the area, and the name likely referred to the settlement that grew up around this religious site.
The earliest known reference to the name is found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Murchadh Ua Cilcheire" in the year 1162. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the 12th century.
In the 14th century, the surname is recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Cloyne, a collection of financial records from the Diocese of Cloyne, which covered much of present-day County Cork. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Kilkery," "Kilkerry," and "Kilkeary."
One notable KILKEARY from history was John Kilkeary, a Catholic priest and writer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born around 1550 in County Cork and is known for his work "Motives of the Christian Faith," published in 1611.
Another prominent figure with this surname was James Kilkeary, an Irish soldier who fought in the Nine Years' War (1593-1603) against English forces. He was born in County Cork around 1570 and served under the command of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.
In the 18th century, the name appears in the records of the Huguenot Society of London, which suggests that some bearers of the KILKEARY surname may have been French Protestants who fled religious persecution and settled in Ireland.
One notable 19th-century bearer of the name was Michael Kilkeary, a successful merchant and landowner from County Cork. He was born in 1810 and is known for his contributions to the development of the town of Midleton.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Patrick Kilkeary (1891-1962) was an Irish politician and member of the Fianna Fáil party. He served as a member of the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) for several terms, representing County Cork.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kilkeary
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilkeary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kilkeary 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 Kilkeary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 9
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kilkeary
Kilkeary 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+7 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,204 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+11 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,744 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 2,204 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 8,744 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 Kilkeary 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 | #151,532 | #142,788 | 5.8% |
| Count | 108 | 119 | 10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kilkeary bearers went from 108 to 119 (+10.2% change). The surname moved up 8,744 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kilkeary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kilkeary?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kilkeary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kilkeary?
Kilkeary ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Kilkeary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kilkeary.
Has Kilkeary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kilkeary went from 108 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 11 (+10.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kilkeary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilkeary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Kilkeary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kilkeary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (7.6%), Black (1.7%). 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 Kilkeary (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 Kilkeary mean?
Irish surname originating from a place name meaning "church of the meadow/marsh". 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 Kilkeary (0.04 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 Kilkeary?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.