2000
#2,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,947
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.43
Uncommon Last name
Killian
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname "Cillín," derived from a diminutive of the given name Ceallachán.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,276 Americans carry the last name Killian. That puts it at #3,029 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,818 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Killian 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 Killian with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,818
Census rank
#3,029
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,577 bearers of the surname Killian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3029th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Killian, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Killian
The surname Killian has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic name "Cillian," which means "bright-headed" or "brilliant." The name was originally associated with the ancient Irish kingdom of Munster, particularly in County Cork and County Limerick.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Killian can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The Annals mention a notable figure named Cillian mac Máil Úama, who lived in the 7th century and was a prominent scholar and monk in Munster.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in the Pipe Rolls of County Cork, which were administrative records of the English crown in Ireland. These rolls listed several individuals with the surname Killian, indicating that the name had become well-established in the region by that time.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Killian throughout history, one can mention:
1. Saint Killian (c. 640-689), an Irish missionary and martyr who traveled to Germany to preach Christianity. He is venerated as the patron saint of several German towns and cities.
2. Cornelius Killian (1738-1808), an Irish-born American businessman and landowner who played a significant role in the early development of New York City.
3. James Killian (1904-1988), a prominent American academic and engineer who served as the 10th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1949 to 1959.
4. Mary Killian (1858-1935), an Irish-American labor activist and trade unionist who fought for better working conditions and wages for women in the garment industry.
5. Johannes Killian (1571-1631), a German engraver and publisher known for his detailed maps and city views, including his famous "Topographia Palatina" depicting the cities and landscapes of the Palatinate region.
The surname Killian has also been associated with several place names, such as Killian Hill in County Carlow, Ireland, and Killian's Settlement, a historic community in Pennsylvania, United States, established by Irish immigrants in the 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Killian
Among Census respondents with the surname Killian, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Killian 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 Killian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 10,107
- Two or more races4.0% · 462
- Black or African American3.9% · 451
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 397
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Killian
Killian 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
#2,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,717
+770 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.31
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#3,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,577
-1,140 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 3.87
Rank movement Down 196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,771 | 11,947 | 4.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,833 | 12,717 | 4.31 | +770 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #3,029 | 11,577 | 3.87 | -1,140 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 196 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 Killian 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 | #2,833 | #3,029 | -6.9% |
| Count | 12,717 | 11,577 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.31 | 3.87 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Killian bearers went from 12,717 to 11,577 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 196 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,833 to #3,029.
FAQ
Killian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Killian?
Name Census estimates that about 13,276 living Americans carry the surname Killian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,818 residents.
How common is Killian?
Killian ranks #3,029 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,577 people with the surname Killian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Killian.
Has Killian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Killian went from 12,717 recorded bearers to 11,577. That is a decrease of 1,140 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,833 to #3,029.
What does the Census say about the background of Killian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Killian, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.9%). 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 Killian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (10,107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Killian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Black (3.9%). 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 Killian (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 Killian mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname "Cillín," derived from a diminutive of the given name Ceallachán. 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 Killian (3.87 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 have the surname Killian?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.