2000
#2,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,357
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.69
Uncommon Last name
Kinsey
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the king's victory" or "royal victory."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,462 Americans carry the last name Kinsey. That puts it at #2,329 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,629 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinsey 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 Kinsey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,629
Census rank
#2,329
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,228 bearers of the surname Kinsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2329th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinsey 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 Kinsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.7% · 11,220
- Black or African American17.4% · 2,651
- Two or more races4.2% · 636
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 511
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinsey
Kinsey 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
#2,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,102
+745 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 5.46
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#2,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,228
-874 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 5.09
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,169 | 15,357 | 5.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,258 | 16,102 | 5.46 | +745 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #2,329 | 15,228 | 5.09 | -874 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 71 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 Kinsey 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 | #2,258 | #2,329 | -3.1% |
| Count | 16,102 | 15,228 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.46 | 5.09 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinsey bearers went from 16,102 to 15,228 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,258 to #2,329.
FAQ
Kinsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinsey?
Name Census estimates that about 17,462 living Americans carry the surname Kinsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,629 residents.
How common is Kinsey?
Kinsey ranks #2,329 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,228 people with the surname Kinsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,462), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Kinsey.
Has Kinsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinsey went from 16,102 recorded bearers to 15,228. That is a decrease of 874 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,258 to #2,329.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Kinsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (11,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.7%), Black (17.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Kinsey (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 Kinsey mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the king's victory" or "royal victory." 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 Kinsey (5.09 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 common is the surname Kinsey?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Kinsey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.