2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Killingworth
A locational surname originating from the town of Killingworth in Northumberland, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Killingworth. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Killingworth 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 Killingworth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Killingworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Killingworth, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.2%. The next largest groups are White (40.2%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Killingworth
The surname Killingworth is of English origin, derived from the place name Killingworth, a village in Northumberland. The name likely evolved from the Old English words "cilling" meaning "descendant of Cilla" and "worth" meaning "enclosure or homestead." This suggests that the name may have originated from an estate or settlement belonging to someone named Cilla or their descendants.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Killingworth dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a certain Roger de Killingworth was mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Northumberland. This document was a survey of land ownership and taxation conducted during the reign of King Edward I.
Another notable early reference to the name is found in the Calendarium Genealogicum, a historical record of English families compiled by Charles Roberts in the 17th century. It mentions a John Killingworth who was born in 1482 and served as a member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 16th century.
In the 16th century, a prominent individual bearing the surname Killingworth was Sir William Killingworth (1497-1558). He was an English navigator and explorer who led several expeditions to Muscovy (present-day Russia) on behalf of the English crown. His voyages helped establish trade relations between England and Russia, and he was instrumental in the formation of the Muscovy Company.
Another notable figure was Robert Killingworth (1655-1711), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge from 1699 until his death. He was a renowned scholar and published several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 18th century, Edward Killingworth (1720-1785) was a prominent English architect and surveyor. He designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich and the Foundling Hospital.
Over the centuries, the surname Killingworth has also been associated with various places in England, particularly in Northumberland and the surrounding areas. For instance, there is a village called Long Killingworth in Northumberland, and the name has been used to refer to other locations in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Killingworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Killingworth, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.2%. The next largest groups are White (40.2%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Killingworth 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 Killingworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.2% · 54
- White40.2% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Killingworth
Killingworth 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-16 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,972 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+11 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 24,972 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 9,499 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 Killingworth 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 | #153,769 | #144,270 | 6.2% |
| Count | 106 | 117 | 10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Killingworth bearers went from 106 to 117 (+10.4% change). The surname moved up 9,499 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #144,270.
FAQ
Killingworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Killingworth?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Killingworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Killingworth?
Killingworth ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Killingworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Killingworth.
Has Killingworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Killingworth went from 106 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 11 (+10.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Killingworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Killingworth, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.2%. The next largest groups are White (40.2%) and Hispanic (6.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Killingworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.2% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Killingworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.2%), White (40.2%), Hispanic (6.0%). 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 Killingworth (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 Killingworth mean?
A locational surname originating from the town of Killingworth in Northumberland, England. 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 Killingworth (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 Killingworth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.