2000
#72,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Killip
A surname of Scottish origin perhaps derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 306 Americans carry the last name Killip. That puts it at #77,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,120,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Killip 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 Killip with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
306
1 in 1,120,112
Census rank
#77,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
267
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 267 bearers of the surname Killip in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Killip, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Killip
The surname Killip is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cillippe," which means a deep ravine or steep-sided valley. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Killip," found in records dating back to the 12th century.
The name Killip is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. However, it is recorded in various medieval documents and records from the 13th century onwards, particularly in the Yorkshire and Lancashire regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is that of Roger Killip, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1285. Another notable example is John Killip, a landowner from Lancashire, whose name appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Killip was often associated with certain place names in the north of England, such as Kilnhow and Kilnwick, which may have contributed to the surname's evolution and spelling variations.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Killip throughout history are:
1. Robert Killip (1563-1632), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of York.
2. Elizabeth Killip (1677-1745), a renowned herbalist and healer from Lancashire.
3. John Killip (1702-1771), a renowned clockmaker from Yorkshire, known for his intricate timepieces.
4. William Killip (1814-1891), a pioneering engineer and inventor from Lancashire, who patented several innovative designs for textile machinery.
5. Mary Killip (1856-1932), a prominent suffragette and advocate for women's rights, born in Yorkshire.
While the surname Killip may have evolved over time and acquired different spellings in different regions, its origins can be traced back to the northern counties of England, where it was closely associated with geographical features and place names derived from Old English.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Killip
Among Census respondents with the surname Killip, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Killip 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 Killip surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 231
- Two or more races4.9% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Killip
Killip 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
#76,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 253
+2 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 3,792 places
2020
#77,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 267
+14 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 1,433 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,237 | 251 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #76,029 | 253 | 0.09 | +2 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 3,792 places |
| 2020 | #77,462 | 267 | 0.09 | +14 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 1,433 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 Killip 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 | #76,029 | #77,462 | -1.9% |
| Count | 253 | 267 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Killip bearers went from 253 to 267 (+5.5% change). The surname moved down 1,433 positions in the national ranking, going from #76,029 to #77,462.
FAQ
Killip surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Killip?
Name Census estimates that about 306 living Americans carry the surname Killip. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,120,112 residents.
How common is Killip?
Killip ranks #77,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 267 people with the surname Killip. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Killip.
Has Killip become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Killip went from 253 recorded bearers to 267. That is an increase of 14 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #76,029 to #77,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Killip?
Among Census respondents with the surname Killip, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). 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 Killip in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Killip appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). 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 Killip (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 Killip mean?
A surname of Scottish origin perhaps derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Killip (0.09 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 Killip?
If you just want to know how common the surname Killip is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.