Find out how popular the last name Kinsey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kinsey.

Kinsey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kinsey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kinsey in America

Kinsey is the 2258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kinsey surname appeared 16,102 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Kinsey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kinsey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kinsey

The surname Kinsey is of English origin, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cyne" meaning "royal" and "sige" meaning "victory," suggesting that it may have been a name given to someone who achieved a victory for royalty.

The name Kinsey is closely associated with the county of Nottinghamshire in England, where it was particularly prevalent in the medieval period. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "Kynesey."

Several historical records mention individuals with the surname Kinsey, including the Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1327, which list a Robert de Kynesey. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 also reference a John Kynesey from the same region.

In the 16th century, the name Kinsey appears to have been associated with various locations in Nottinghamshire, such as Kinsey Park and Kinsey Farm, suggesting a connection between the surname and these place names.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Kinsey was Sir John Kinsey (c. 1615-1661), an English politician and landowner from Nottinghamshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for the county during the English Civil War.

Another prominent figure was Robert Kinsey (1735-1805), an American politician and judge who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

In the 19th century, Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956) achieved fame as an American biologist and sexologist. He is best known for his groundbreaking research on human sexuality, including the Kinsey Reports published in 1948 and 1953.

Other notable individuals with the surname Kinsey include:

• Edmund Kinsey (1618-1700), an English clergyman and author.
• Joseph Kinsey Howard (1794-1869), an American lawyer and politician from Indiana.
• Darius Kinsey (1869-1945), an American artist and illustrator known for his portraits and landscapes.

While the surname Kinsey originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kinsey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kinsey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kinsey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kinsey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kinsey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kinsey, please contact us.

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