2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Killewald
A name derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a location with a certain valley or dale.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Killewald. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Killewald 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Killewald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Killewald, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Killewald
The surname Killewald is of Scottish origin, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Scots words "kil" meaning church or chapel, and "wald" meaning a wooded area or forest. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name referring to a settlement near a church or chapel in a forested region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish noblemen who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Kyllewald," indicating its antiquity and connection to Scotland's medieval history.
In the 15th century, the name Killewald appears in the records of the Bishopric of Aberdeen, where a certain John Killewald is mentioned as a landowner in the area. This provides evidence of the name's association with landownership and the Scottish nobility during that period.
The Killewald family is also known to have had a strong presence in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas around Jedburgh and Kelso. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Robert Killewald (1520-1592) served as the Provost of Jedburgh, a position of significant authority and influence in the town.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Sir William Killewald (1670-1745), a Scottish landowner and member of the Scottish Parliament. He played an active role in the Jacobite uprisings of the early 18th century, supporting the cause of the exiled Stuart monarchs.
In the 19th century, the name Killewald gained recognition through the literary works of the Scottish author and poet, James Killewald (1812-1882). His poems and novels captured the essence of rural Scottish life and contributed to the preservation of the country's cultural heritage.
It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the name have been observed over time, including Killewald, Killiewold, and Kyllewalde, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects. Additionally, the name Killewald has been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Killewald Hill and Killewald Burn, further reinforcing its geographic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Killewald
Among Census respondents with the surname Killewald, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Killewald 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 Killewald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Killewald
Killewald 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
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,749 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 807 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 14,749 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 807 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 Killewald 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 | #152,339 | -0.5% |
| Count | 108 | 106 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Killewald bearers went from 108 to 106 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 807 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,339.
FAQ
Killewald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Killewald?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Killewald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Killewald?
Killewald ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Killewald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Killewald.
Has Killewald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Killewald went from 108 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Killewald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Killewald, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Killewald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Killewald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (1.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Killewald (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 Killewald mean?
A name derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a location with a certain valley or dale. 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 Killewald (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 are called Killewald?
See how many people have the last name Killewald on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.