2000
#4,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,583
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.44
Rare Last name
Kinard
Derived from a place name meaning "royal hardy" or "king's hardy," likely referring to a courageous or bold person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,247 Americans carry the last name Kinard. That puts it at #5,323 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinard 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
7.2K
1 in 47,296
Census rank
#5,323
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,320 bearers of the surname Kinard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5323rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinard, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinard
The surname Kinard has its roots in Scotland, with the name believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic words "kin" meaning "head" and "ard" meaning "high" or "promontory," suggesting the name may have referred to a person living on a prominent hill or headland.
Kinard is considered a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname Kinnear or Kinnier. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish charters and records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Kinard was John Kinard, a Scottish landowner who lived in Fife in the early 15th century. Another notable bearer of the name was James Kinard, a merchant and burgess of Edinburgh who was recorded in the city's records in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Kinard surname appeared in various placenames across Scotland, including Kinardochy in Perthshire and Kinard in Angus. This suggests that the name may have been used to identify families or clans that inhabited specific areas.
Among the more famous individuals with the Kinard surname was William Kinard (1722-1789), a Scottish-born merchant and plantation owner who emigrated to America and settled in South Carolina. He became a prominent figure in the colony and served as a justice of the peace.
Another notable bearer of the name was James Kinard (1807-1879), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate in the mid-19th century.
In more recent times, Richard Kinard (1918-1994) was an American writer and educator who authored several books on Southern literature and culture, including "Edgar Allan Poe: An Instructive Tradition" and "Willa Cather: A Descriptive Bibliography."
While the surname Kinard may not be as common as some other Scottish names, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period and has been borne by individuals of note in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinard
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinard, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinard 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 Kinard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.5% · 3,884
- Black or African American30.7% · 1,940
- Two or more races3.9% · 249
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinard
Kinard 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
#4,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,035
+452 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 85 places
2020
#5,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,320
-715 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,905 | 6,583 | 2.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,990 | 7,035 | 2.38 | +452 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 85 places |
| 2020 | #5,323 | 6,320 | 2.11 | -715 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 333 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 Kinard 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 | #4,990 | #5,323 | -6.7% |
| Count | 7,035 | 6,320 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.11 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinard bearers went from 7,035 to 6,320 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 333 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,990 to #5,323.
FAQ
Kinard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinard?
Name Census estimates that about 7,247 living Americans carry the surname Kinard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,296 residents.
How common is Kinard?
Kinard ranks #5,323 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 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 6,320 people with the surname Kinard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,247), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 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 Kinard.
Has Kinard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinard went from 7,035 recorded bearers to 6,320. That is a decrease of 715 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,990 to #5,323.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinard, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kinard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.5% (3,884 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.5%), Black (30.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Kinard (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 Kinard mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "royal hardy" or "king's hardy," likely referring to a courageous or bold person. 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 Kinard (2.11 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 Kinard?
You can see how common the surname Kinard is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.