2000
#5,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,887
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Kimbrell
An English occupational surname for one who combed wool or flax, derived from the Old English "cymbren."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,357 Americans carry the last name Kimbrell. That puts it at #5,975 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,918 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kimbrell 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
6.4K
1 in 53,918
Census rank
#5,975
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,544 bearers of the surname Kimbrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5975th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kimbrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kimbrell
The surname Kimbrell has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the old English words "cymbel" and "hyll," meaning "ridge" or "hill." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a prominent hill or ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1195, which mentions a person named William Kimbrell. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where it is spelled "Kymbrel."
During the medieval period, the Kimbrell family was primarily based in the counties of Bedfordshire and Gloucestershire. Some notable individuals from this time include Sir John Kimbrell, who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, and Richard Kimbrell, a merchant from Bristol who was recorded in tax records from the late 15th century.
As the Kimbrell family spread across England, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Kimbrell, Kimbrel, and Kimbril. This was common during the Middle Ages when spelling was not standardized.
In the 16th century, the name appears in several parish records, including those of St. Mary's Church in Shrewsbury, where a John Kimbrell was baptized in 1587. Another notable figure from this period was Edward Kimbrell, a member of the Mercers' Company in London, who was born in 1562.
The 17th century saw the name Kimbrell appear in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where a family bearing the name owned land near the village of Burnsall. One noteworthy individual from this time was William Kimbrell, a merchant from Bristol who was involved in the cloth trade and lived from 1620 to 1688.
As the centuries passed, the Kimbrell family continued to spread throughout England, with some members eventually emigrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. Notable individuals from more recent times include the English author and playwright Charles Kimbrell (1847-1925) and the Australian cricketer Arthur Kimbrell (1879-1945).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kimbrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Kimbrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kimbrell 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 Kimbrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 5,035
- Two or more races4.4% · 244
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 192
- Black or African American0.5% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kimbrell
Kimbrell 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
#5,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,016
+129 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 324 places
2020
#5,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,544
-472 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,435 | 5,887 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,759 | 6,016 | 2.04 | +129 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 324 places |
| 2020 | #5,975 | 5,544 | 1.85 | -472 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 216 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 Kimbrell 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 | #5,759 | #5,975 | -3.8% |
| Count | 6,016 | 5,544 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.85 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kimbrell bearers went from 6,016 to 5,544 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,759 to #5,975.
FAQ
Kimbrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kimbrell?
Name Census estimates that about 6,357 living Americans carry the surname Kimbrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,918 residents.
How common is Kimbrell?
Kimbrell ranks #5,975 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,544 people with the surname Kimbrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,357), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kimbrell.
Has Kimbrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kimbrell went from 6,016 recorded bearers to 5,544. That is a decrease of 472 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,759 to #5,975.
What does the Census say about the background of Kimbrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kimbrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kimbrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (5,035 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kimbrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kimbrell (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 Kimbrell mean?
An English occupational surname for one who combed wool or flax, derived from the Old English "cymbren." 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 Kimbrell (1.85 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 Americans have the surname Kimbrell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.