2000
#10,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,969
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Kinley
From the Old English "cȳne" meaning "royal" and "lēah" meaning "meadow" or "woodland clearing," referring to a royal forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,371 Americans carry the last name Kinley. That puts it at #10,430 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,677 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinley 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 Kinley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,677
Census rank
#10,430
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,940 bearers of the surname Kinley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10430th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinley
The surname Kinley is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cyn" meaning "royal" or "noble" and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. The name likely referred to someone who lived in a meadow or clearing owned by a noble or member of royalty.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a William de Kynlay is mentioned. The spelling "Kynlay" suggests the name was originally pronounced with a long "a" sound.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Kineleye, Kynley, and Kynlay in records from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. This indicates the name was present in different regions of England during this period.
The Kinley surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England. This suggests the name has its origins in the 11th century or earlier.
Notable historical figures with the Kinley surname include:
1. Sir John Kinley (c.1470-1536), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. Thomas Kinley (c.1550-1620), an English clergyman and author of theological works.
3. William Kinley (1628-1696), an English Puritan minister and author of religious texts.
4. Robert Kinley (1718-1789), a Scottish merchant and landowner who made significant contributions to the development of Glasgow.
5. Jane Kinley (1810-1892), an English artist and painter known for her landscapes and portraits.
The name Kinley is also associated with various place names in England, such as Kinley Green in Buckinghamshire and Kinley Wood in Oxfordshire, further cementing its historical roots in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinley
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinley 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 Kinley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 2,389
- Black or African American10.0% · 293
- Two or more races4.1% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinley
Kinley 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
#8,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,105
+1,136 bearers (+38.3%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 1,940 places
2020
#10,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,940
-1,165 bearers (-28.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 2,357 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,013 | 2,969 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,073 | 4,105 | 1.39 | +1,136 bearers (+38.3%) | Up 1,940 places |
| 2020 | #10,430 | 2,940 | 0.98 | -1,165 bearers (-28.4%) | Down 2,357 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 Kinley 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 | #8,073 | #10,430 | -29.2% |
| Count | 4,105 | 2,940 | -28.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 0.98 | -29.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinley bearers went from 4,105 to 2,940 (-28.4% change). The surname moved down 2,357 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,073 to #10,430.
FAQ
Kinley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,371 living Americans carry the surname Kinley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,677 residents.
How common is Kinley?
Kinley ranks #10,430 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,940 people with the surname Kinley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,371), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Kinley.
Has Kinley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinley went from 4,105 recorded bearers to 2,940. That is a decrease of 1,165 (-28.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,073 to #10,430.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinley, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kinley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (2,389 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Kinley (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 Kinley mean?
From the Old English "cȳne" meaning "royal" and "lēah" meaning "meadow" or "woodland clearing," referring to a royal forest. 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 Kinley (0.98 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 Kinley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.