2000
#105,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Kinseth
A surname derived from the German word "Kind" meaning "child", possibly referring to a younger son.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Kinseth. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinseth 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Kinseth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinseth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinseth
The surname Kinseth has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the late 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "kin" meaning "head" and "sith" meaning "fairy mound" or "peace", suggesting a connection to a specific place or geographic feature. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Kinsyth", referring to the village of Kinsyth in Clackmannanshire, Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kinseth can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Kinsith de Kinsyth", likely referring to a landowner from the village of Kinsyth. This suggests that the Kinseth family held a prominent position in the region during the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Kinseth name was Robert Kinseth, a Scottish clergyman who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1582. He was born in Kinsyth around 1540 and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland.
Another prominent individual with the Kinseth surname was John Kinseth, a Scottish merchant and landowner who lived in the late 17th century. He was known for his extensive trade networks and his acquisition of significant land holdings in the Clackmannanshire area, further solidifying the family's connection to the region.
During the 18th century, the Kinseth name appeared in several parish records and land transactions in and around Kinsyth. One notable example is James Kinseth, born in 1723, who served as the local magistrate and played a crucial role in the governance of the village.
In more recent times, the name Kinseth has spread beyond Scotland, with families bearing this surname found in various parts of the world. However, it remains relatively rare, with most individuals tracing their ancestry back to the original Kinsyth region in Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinseth
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinseth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinseth 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 Kinseth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 110
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinseth
Kinseth 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-35 bearers (-22.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 31,953 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,722 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #105,374 | 157 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -35 bearers (-22.3%) | Down 31,953 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 4,722 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 Kinseth 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 | #137,327 | #142,049 | -3.4% |
| Count | 122 | 120 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinseth bearers went from 122 to 120 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 4,722 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #142,049.
FAQ
Kinseth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinseth?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Kinseth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Kinseth?
Kinseth ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Kinseth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kinseth.
Has Kinseth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinseth went from 122 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinseth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinseth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Kinseth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinseth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Kinseth (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 Kinseth mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Kind" meaning "child", possibly referring to a younger son. 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 Kinseth (0.04 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 Kinseth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.