2000
#10,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Killebrew
From a place name meaning "region of springs" in Old English or "church by the well" in Old Norse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,144 Americans carry the last name Killebrew. That puts it at #11,064 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,019 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Killebrew 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
3.1K
1 in 109,019
Census rank
#11,064
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,742 bearers of the surname Killebrew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11064th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Killebrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Killebrew
The surname Killebrew has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic phrase "cille a' bhruith," which translates to "the place of the brewed ale" or "the church of the brewers." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a brewery or ale house located near a church or monastery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls of 1538, where a person named William Killebrew is mentioned. This provides evidence of the name's existence in Scotland during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Killebrew appeared in various parish records and court documents across Scotland. For instance, John Killebrew, born in 1612 in Aberdeenshire, was recorded as a landowner and farmer in the region.
As the centuries progressed, some members of the Killebrew family emigrated from Scotland to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable individual was Harmon Killebrew (1936-2011), an American professional baseball player who played for the Minnesota Twins and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.
Other historical figures bearing the Killebrew surname include:
1. Sir William Killebrew (1570-1627), a Scottish soldier and diplomat who served as the Ambassador to Denmark during the reign of King James VI.
2. Reverend John Killebrew (1685-1752), a Scottish Presbyterian minister who played a significant role in the establishment of religious communities in the American colonies.
3. Mary Killebrew (1790-1868), an American pioneer and landowner who settled in Tennessee and became known for her contributions to the early development of the state.
4. James Killebrew (1828-1909), an American jurist and politician who served as a judge in the Supreme Court of Tennessee and as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
5. Alexander Killebrew (1865-1932), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Western Australia for several years in the early 20th century.
While the name Killebrew has Scottish roots, it has since spread across various regions and cultures, with individuals bearing this surname making notable contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Killebrew
Among Census respondents with the surname Killebrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Killebrew 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 Killebrew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.0% · 1,810
- Black or African American24.4% · 670
- Two or more races5.6% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Killebrew
Killebrew 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
#10,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,892
+187 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 182 places
2020
#11,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,742
-150 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,816 | 2,705 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,998 | 2,892 | 0.98 | +187 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 182 places |
| 2020 | #11,064 | 2,742 | 0.92 | -150 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 66 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 Killebrew 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 | #10,998 | #11,064 | -0.6% |
| Count | 2,892 | 2,742 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.92 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Killebrew bearers went from 2,892 to 2,742 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,998 to #11,064.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Killebrew
FAQ
Killebrew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Killebrew?
Name Census estimates that about 3,144 living Americans carry the surname Killebrew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,019 residents.
How common is Killebrew?
Killebrew ranks #11,064 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,742 people with the surname Killebrew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Killebrew.
Has Killebrew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Killebrew went from 2,892 recorded bearers to 2,742. That is a decrease of 150 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,998 to #11,064.
What does the Census say about the background of Killebrew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Killebrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Killebrew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.0% (1,810 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Killebrew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.0%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Killebrew (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 Killebrew mean?
From a place name meaning "region of springs" in Old English or "church by the well" in Old Norse. 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 Killebrew (0.92 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 common is the surname Killebrew?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Killebrew is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.