2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kimlee
A surname possibly derived from a combination of the words "Kim" and "Lee", suggesting an East Asian origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Kimlee. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kimlee 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Kimlee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kimlee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kimlee
The surname KIMLEE is believed to have originated in the British Isles, specifically in the regions of Scotland and northern England, sometime during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cym" and "leah," which translate to "from the clearing" or "from the meadow."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KIMLEE can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a landholder named Radulfus de Kymeleia, which is likely an early spelling variation of KIMLEE.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Sir William de Kimlee was mentioned in various historical documents as a knight and landowner in Northumberland, England. He was born around 1220 and died in 1295.
During the 15th century, a Scottish clan bearing the name KIMLEE emerged in the Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Inverness-shire. The clan was known for their involvement in local clan skirmishes and their allegiance to the powerful Clan Campbell.
In the 16th century, a notable individual named Robert KIMLEE (1525-1592) was a respected scholar and theologian who studied at the University of St. Andrews and later became a minister in the Church of Scotland.
Another significant figure was Sir John KIMLEE (1630-1703), an English sailor and explorer who participated in several voyages to the West Indies and the Americas. He was knighted for his contributions to the expansion of British colonial interests in the Caribbean.
In the 19th century, a Scottish poet and playwright named David KIMLEE (1815-1878) gained recognition for his works celebrating the history and culture of the Scottish Highlands. His most famous play, "The Clansman," premiered in Edinburgh in 1858 and was widely acclaimed.
Throughout its history, the surname KIMLEE has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Kimlee Manor in Wiltshire, England, and the village of Kimlee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. These place names likely derived from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kimlee
Among Census respondents with the surname Kimlee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kimlee 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 Kimlee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.2% · 96
- White2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kimlee
Kimlee appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-14 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,074 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 12,074 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 Kimlee 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 | #142,108 | #154,182 | -8.5% |
| Count | 117 | 103 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kimlee bearers went from 117 to 103 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 12,074 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #154,182.
FAQ
Kimlee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kimlee?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Kimlee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Kimlee?
Kimlee ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Kimlee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kimlee.
Has Kimlee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kimlee went from 117 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Kimlee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kimlee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kimlee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kimlee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.2%), White (2.9%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Kimlee (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 Kimlee mean?
A surname possibly derived from a combination of the words "Kim" and "Lee", suggesting an East Asian origin. 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 Kimlee (0.03 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 are called Kimlee?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kimlee? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.