2000
#5,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.30
Rare Last name
Kingsbury
A locational surname referring to a person who lived in or came from a place called Kingsbury.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,943 Americans carry the last name Kingsbury. That puts it at #5,547 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,367 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kingsbury 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 Kingsbury with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,367
Census rank
#5,547
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,055 bearers of the surname Kingsbury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5547th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kingsbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kingsbury
The surname Kingsbury is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name Kingsbury, which is found in various parts of England, including Middlesex, Somerset, and Warwickshire. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "cyning" meaning "king" and "bury" meaning "fortified place" or "manor."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kingsbury can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. This comprehensive survey of England, commissioned by William the Conqueror, mentions the manor of Kingsbury in Middlesex. The name was likely given to the settlement due to its association with a royal estate or its proximity to a royal residence.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard de Kyngesbury, who held lands in Somerset. This early spelling variation, "Kyngesbury," highlights the name's connection to the word "king." Another notable early bearer of the name was John Kingsbury, who was born around 1380 in Warwickshire and served as a member of Parliament for that county in 1410.
During the 16th century, the name Kingsbury gained prominence with the rise of a family of that name in Warwickshire. One of the most notable members was Sir John Kingsbury (1532-1592), a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1576. His son, Sir Radulphus Kingsbury (1567-1628), was knighted by King James I in 1603.
In the 17th century, the name Kingsbury appeared in various parts of England, including Middlesex and Somerset. A notable figure from this period was John Kingsbury (1639-1712), a Puritan clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Barnston in Essex.
Another significant bearer of the Kingsbury name was Reverend William Kingsbury (1744-1818), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and natural history. He was born in Warwickshire and served as the rector of Ludgershall in Wiltshire for over 40 years.
As the name spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and colonization. In the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the surname Kingsbury were recorded as settlers in the American colonies and later in the United States. Notable examples include Benjamin Kingsbury (1765-1844), a pioneer settler in Ohio, and Albert Kingsbury (1809-1899), a prominent lawyer and politician in Indiana.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kingsbury
Among Census respondents with the surname Kingsbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kingsbury 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 Kingsbury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 5,373
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 272
- Two or more races3.2% · 194
- Black or African American2.5% · 150
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kingsbury
Kingsbury 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
#5,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,325
+125 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 321 places
2020
#5,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,055
-270 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,179 | 6,200 | 2.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,500 | 6,325 | 2.14 | +125 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 321 places |
| 2020 | #5,547 | 6,055 | 2.03 | -270 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 47 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 Kingsbury 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 | #5,500 | #5,547 | -0.9% |
| Count | 6,325 | 6,055 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.03 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kingsbury bearers went from 6,325 to 6,055 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,500 to #5,547.
FAQ
Kingsbury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kingsbury?
Name Census estimates that about 6,943 living Americans carry the surname Kingsbury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,367 residents.
How common is Kingsbury?
Kingsbury ranks #5,547 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.03 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 6,055 people with the surname Kingsbury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,943), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.03 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 Kingsbury.
Has Kingsbury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kingsbury went from 6,325 recorded bearers to 6,055. That is a decrease of 270 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,500 to #5,547.
What does the Census say about the background of Kingsbury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kingsbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Kingsbury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (5,373 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kingsbury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Kingsbury (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 Kingsbury mean?
A locational surname referring to a person who lived in or came from a place called Kingsbury. 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 Kingsbury (2.03 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 have the surname Kingsbury?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.