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

Killens, 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 Killens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Killens in America

Killens is the 68949th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Killens surname appeared 285 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Killens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Killens 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 Killens

The surname Killens is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cill," meaning a small stream or brook, combined with the suffix "-en," indicating a location. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name referring to a settlement near a small stream or brook.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Killens can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England. The rolls mention a Robert de Killens, who held lands in Oxfordshire. This demonstrates that the name was already established in that region by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the Poll Tax records of 1379, which list a John Killens from Yorkshire. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.

During the 16th century, the Killens family seems to have established itself in the county of Kent. In 1567, a William Killens was recorded as a landowner in the village of Charing, near Canterbury. This branch of the family may have given rise to the variant spelling "Killen," which is still found in some parts of England today.

One notable figure bearing the Killens surname was John Killens (1573-1644), a merchant and member of the Virginia Company. He played a role in the establishment of the Virginia colony and was among the early English settlers in the New World.

Another individual of note was Sir Robert Killens (1630-1698), a member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London in the late 17th century. He was knighted by King Charles II in recognition of his service to the Crown.

In the 18th century, the name Killens appears in records from various parts of England, including London, Yorkshire, and Gloucestershire. One notable bearer was Captain Thomas Killens (1720-1789), a naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.

The 19th century saw the Killens family spread further afield, with members migrating to other parts of the British Empire and beyond. One such individual was William Killens (1815-1879), a pioneer settler in Australia who established a successful farming enterprise in the colony of New South Wales.

Another notable figure was Emily Killens (1853-1932), a British author and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reform in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Killens

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

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

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

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