2000
#11,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Kinchen
Derived from a medieval personal name, a pet form of Anglo-Norman French kin, meaning "royal offspring" or "child."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,097 Americans carry the last name Kinchen. That puts it at #11,202 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,673 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinchen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kinchen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,673
Census rank
#11,202
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,701 bearers of the surname Kinchen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11202nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinchen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.4%. The next largest groups are White (44.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinchen
The surname Kinchen originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cyne" meaning royal or kingly, and "cyn" meaning kin or family. The name likely referred to someone who was part of a royal or noble family line.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mention a person named William Kinchen. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Kinchen living in various counties across England.
During the 13th century, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. It is believed that the name may have originated in one of these areas, possibly in a place called Kynchen or a variation of that name.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in several historical records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, which mentioned a John Kynchen in 1345. The Poll Tax Returns of 1379 also listed several individuals with the name Kinchen across various counties in England.
Notable individuals with the surname Kinchen throughout history include:
1. Sir Robert Kinchen (1560-1635), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
2. Thomas Kinchen (1628-1684), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire.
3. Elizabeth Kinchen (1670-1745), a landowner and philanthropist from Lincolnshire who donated funds for the construction of a school and almshouses in her hometown.
4. William Kinchen (1735-1810), a prominent farmer and landowner from Nottinghamshire, known for his innovative agricultural practices.
5. Mary Kinchen (1795-1867), an English poet and writer from Yorkshire, whose works were published in various literary journals of the time.
While the surname Kinchen is not as common today as it once was, its long history and connections to various regions of England make it a notable name with a rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinchen
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinchen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.4%. The next largest groups are White (44.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinchen 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 Kinchen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.4% · 1,254
- White44.4% · 1,199
- Two or more races5.1% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinchen
Kinchen 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
#10,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,916
+353 bearers (+13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 396 places
2020
#11,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,701
-215 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 288 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,310 | 2,563 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,914 | 2,916 | 0.99 | +353 bearers (+13.8%) | Up 396 places |
| 2020 | #11,202 | 2,701 | 0.90 | -215 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 288 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 Kinchen 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 | #10,914 | #11,202 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,916 | 2,701 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.90 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinchen bearers went from 2,916 to 2,701 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 288 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,914 to #11,202.
FAQ
Kinchen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinchen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,097 living Americans carry the surname Kinchen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,673 residents.
How common is Kinchen?
Kinchen ranks #11,202 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,701 people with the surname Kinchen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,097), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kinchen.
Has Kinchen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinchen went from 2,916 recorded bearers to 2,701. That is a decrease of 215 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,914 to #11,202.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinchen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinchen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.4%. The next largest groups are White (44.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kinchen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.4% (1,254 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinchen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.4%), White (44.4%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Kinchen (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 Kinchen mean?
Derived from a medieval personal name, a pet form of Anglo-Norman French kin, meaning "royal offspring" or "child." 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 Kinchen (0.90 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 Kinchen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.