2000
#6,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,985
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Kinser
An occupational surname for a person who makes armor or metal helmets, derived from the German word "kinne."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,387 Americans carry the last name Kinser. That puts it at #6,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,626 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinser 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
5.4K
1 in 63,626
Census rank
#6,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,698 bearers of the surname Kinser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinser
The surname KINSER is of Anglo-Saxon origin, originating in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cyn," meaning "kin" or "family," suggesting that the name was originally a descriptive one referring to a member of a particular family or clan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KINSER surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Kynser" and "Kynsere," indicating the variations that existed in the spelling of surnames during that era.
The KINSER surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Kinser in Oxfordshire and Kinser's Green in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the settlements or areas where families bearing the KINSER name resided.
One notable individual with the KINSER surname was Sir John Kinser (1570-1632), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire in the early 17th century. Another prominent figure was Robert Kinser (1638-1712), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from London whose innovative designs and contributions to timekeeping were highly regarded during his time.
In the realm of literature, the KINSER surname is associated with the 18th-century English poet and playwright, Elizabeth Kinser (1718-1788), whose works were widely acclaimed for their wit and satire. Her contemporaries included Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith, and she was a prominent figure in the literary circles of her time.
The KINSER surname also found its way into the annals of military history with General William Kinser (1792-1876), a British Army officer who served with distinction during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent figure in the administration of British India.
Another notable bearer of the KINSER surname was Sir Arthur Kinser (1856-1934), a British engineer and industrialist who played a pivotal role in the development of the early automotive industry. His innovative designs and contributions to manufacturing processes were instrumental in the growth of the automotive sector in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinser
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinser 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 Kinser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 4,344
- Two or more races3.6% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinser
Kinser 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
#6,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,720
+735 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 282 places
2020
#6,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,698
-1,022 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 878 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,294 | 4,985 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,012 | 5,720 | 1.94 | +735 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 282 places |
| 2020 | #6,890 | 4,698 | 1.57 | -1,022 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 878 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 Kinser 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 | #6,012 | #6,890 | -14.6% |
| Count | 5,720 | 4,698 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.57 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinser bearers went from 5,720 to 4,698 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 878 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,012 to #6,890.
FAQ
Kinser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinser?
Name Census estimates that about 5,387 living Americans carry the surname Kinser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,626 residents.
How common is Kinser?
Kinser ranks #6,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 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 4,698 people with the surname Kinser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,387), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 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 Kinser.
Has Kinser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinser went from 5,720 recorded bearers to 4,698. That is a decrease of 1,022 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,012 to #6,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Kinser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (4,344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Kinser (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 Kinser mean?
An occupational surname for a person who makes armor or metal helmets, derived from the German word "kinne." 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 Kinser (1.57 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 Americans have the surname Kinser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.