2000
#12,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,259
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Kinman
A surname of English origin, likely referring to a king's man or servant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,392 Americans carry the last name Kinman. That puts it at #13,871 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinman 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 Kinman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 143,292
Census rank
#13,871
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,086 bearers of the surname Kinman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13871st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinman
The surname KINMAN is of English origin, derived from the Middle English words "kin" and "man," meaning a male relative or kinsman. This name likely emerged in the 13th or 14th century as a descriptive surname for someone who was closely related to a prominent family or individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KINMAN can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Kyneman is listed. The name is also found in various other medieval records, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 for Warwickshire, which mention a Thomas Kyneman.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name was concentrated in the counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire in the West Midlands region of England. It is believed that the name originated in this area and later spread to other parts of the country.
In the late 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was John Kinman (c. 1560-1620), a English clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of St. Giles' Church in Northampton. He was known for his work in translating the Bible into Welsh.
Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Kinman (1630-1694), a English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire in the late 17th century. He played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which led to the overthrow of King James II.
In the 18th century, the KINMAN surname was found in various parish records throughout England, with concentrations in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. One notable individual was Robert Kinman (1714-1788), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Worcestershire who was involved in the local government.
During the 19th century, the name continued to be prevalent in the West Midlands region, with some individuals migrating to other parts of England, as well as to North America and other British colonies. One notable bearer was William Kinman (1832-1906), a English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Birmingham and the surrounding areas.
Throughout its history, the KINMAN surname has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Kyneman, Kinneman, and Kynneman, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic variations of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinman
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinman 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 Kinman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 1,871
- Two or more races4.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 68
- Black or African American1.2% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinman
Kinman 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
#11,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,843
+584 bearers (+25.9%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 1,435 places
2020
#13,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,086
-757 bearers (-26.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 2,733 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,573 | 2,259 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,138 | 2,843 | 0.96 | +584 bearers (+25.9%) | Up 1,435 places |
| 2020 | #13,871 | 2,086 | 0.70 | -757 bearers (-26.6%) | Down 2,733 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 Kinman 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 | #11,138 | #13,871 | -24.5% |
| Count | 2,843 | 2,086 | -26.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.70 | -27.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinman bearers went from 2,843 to 2,086 (-26.6% change). The surname moved down 2,733 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,138 to #13,871.
FAQ
Kinman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,392 living Americans carry the surname Kinman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,292 residents.
How common is Kinman?
Kinman ranks #13,871 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,086 people with the surname Kinman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,392), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Kinman.
Has Kinman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinman went from 2,843 recorded bearers to 2,086. That is a decrease of 757 (-26.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,138 to #13,871.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Kinman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,871 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Kinman (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 Kinman mean?
A surname of English origin, likely referring to a king's man or servant. 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 Kinman (0.70 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 share the surname Kinman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.