Find out how popular the last name Kilpatrick is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kilpatrick surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kilpatrick in America

Kilpatrick is the 2565th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kilpatrick surname appeared 14,087 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Kilpatrick.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kilpatrick to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kilpatrick

The surname Kilpatrick originates from Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "cill" meaning "church" and "padraig" meaning "Patrick," referring to the church or parish of St. Patrick. The name is associated with lands in the Scottish counties of Dumbartonshire and Ayrshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls from Scotland in the late 13th century. The rolls list a "Patrick de Kilpatrick" who swore fealty to King Edward I of England in 1296.

The Kilpatrick surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. Sir Robert Kilpatrick (1357-1420) was a Scottish nobleman who served as Lord High Treasurer of Scotland during the reign of King Robert III. Sir Thomas Kilpatrick (1545-1625) was a Scottish soldier and courtier who fought in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and later became a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to King James VI of Scotland.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Kilpatrick family settled in Ulster, Ireland, and the name became more prevalent there. One notable bearer was Hugh Kilpatrick (1788-1865), an Irish-born American military officer who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.

Another prominent figure was Jacob Kilpatrick (1836-1924), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania from 1893 to 1897. James J. Kilpatrick (1920-2010) was an American journalist and author who wrote for several newspapers, including the Richmond News Leader and the National Review.

Variations of the spelling include Kilpatrik, Kilpatrike, and Kilpatric, reflecting different regional pronunciations and spelling conventions over time. The name is also found in place names such as Kilpatrick Hills in Scotland and Kilpatrick, a town in County Westmeath, Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kilpatrick

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kilpatrick.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kilpatrick was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kilpatrick has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kilpatrick was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kilpatrick, please contact us.

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