2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Killpatrick
A surname derived from the Irish place name Kilpatrick or meaning "church of Patrick".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Killpatrick. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Killpatrick 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Killpatrick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Killpatrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Hispanic (13.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Killpatrick
The surname Killpatrick is of Scottish origin, arising in the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic "Cill Phadraig," meaning "Patrick's Church" or "Church of Patrick." This suggests the name originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or was associated with a church dedicated to St. Patrick.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the records of the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, where a "William de Kilpatrick" is mentioned in 1264. The name also appears in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, with a "John de Kilpatryk" being granted lands in Dumbartonshire in 1368.
The Killpatrick surname is predominantly found in the regions of Ayrshire and Dumbartonshire, where the name is believed to have originated. The nearby town of Kilpatrick, located in West Dunbartonshire, is likely to have been the source of the name's derivation.
A notable historical figure bearing the Killpatrick surname was Sir William Killpatrick, a Scottish knight who participated in the Wars of Scottish Independence. He fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Kilpatrick (1782-1841), a Scottish-born American merchant and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York. He was also involved in the War of 1812 and played a role in the defense of New York City.
In the realm of literature, James Kilpatrick (1892-1964) was a Scottish writer and journalist known for his works on Scottish history and culture. His books include "The Scottish Tradition in Literature" and "Scots Worthies."
The name Killpatrick also has connections to the religious sphere. One example is James Killpatrick (1696-1781), an Irish Presbyterian minister who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in 1770.
Finally, a more contemporary figure with the Killpatrick surname is James J. Kilpatrick (1920-2010), an American journalist and author. He was a prominent conservative voice and wrote a syndicated newspaper column for over six decades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Killpatrick
Among Census respondents with the surname Killpatrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Hispanic (13.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Killpatrick 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 Killpatrick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.5% · 65
- Black or African American21.2% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino13.3% · 15
- Two or more races6.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Killpatrick
Killpatrick 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+22 bearers (+20.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,178 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-17 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,611 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +22 bearers (+20.4%) | Up 11,178 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 16,611 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 Killpatrick 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 | #130,610 | #147,221 | -12.7% |
| Count | 130 | 113 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Killpatrick bearers went from 130 to 113 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 16,611 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #147,221.
FAQ
Killpatrick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Killpatrick?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Killpatrick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Killpatrick?
Killpatrick ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Killpatrick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Killpatrick.
Has Killpatrick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Killpatrick went from 130 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Killpatrick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Killpatrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Hispanic (13.3%). 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 Killpatrick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.5% (65 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Killpatrick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.5%), Black (21.2%), Hispanic (13.3%). 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 Killpatrick (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 Killpatrick mean?
A surname derived from the Irish place name Kilpatrick or meaning "church of Patrick". 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 Killpatrick (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 have the surname Killpatrick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.