2000
#12,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,170
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Kinslow
Derived from a place name meaning "royal grave mound" in Old English, likely referring to a nearby landmark.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,328 Americans carry the last name Kinslow. That puts it at #14,199 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinslow 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 Kinslow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 147,231
Census rank
#14,199
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,030 bearers of the surname Kinslow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14199th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinslow, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinslow
The surname KINSLOW is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "cyne" meaning royal or noble, and "hlaw" meaning hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived on or near a royal or noble hill.
KINSLOW is a locational surname, meaning it originated from a particular place name. It is thought to be associated with the village of Kinslow, which is located in the county of Herefordshire, England. Records show that this village existed as early as the 12th century, with variations of the name such as Kyneslawe and Kyneslow appearing in historical documents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KINSLOW can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1195, where a person named William de Kyneslawe is mentioned. This provides evidence that the surname was in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, a man named John de Kyneslow is recorded as holding lands in the village of Kinslow, Herefordshire. This further solidifies the connection between the surname and the place name.
Notable individuals with the surname KINSLOW throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Kinslow (c. 1470 - 1546), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Herefordshire.
2. Richard Kinslow (c. 1520 - 1591), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of St John's College, Oxford.
3. Elizabeth Kinslow (c. 1580 - 1640), a wealthy English landowner and philanthropist known for her charitable works in Herefordshire.
4. Captain John Kinslow (c. 1630 - 1695), an English naval officer who fought in the Anglo-Dutch Wars and was renowned for his bravery in battle.
5. William Kinslow (c. 1720 - 1790), a prominent English businessman and merchant who established trade routes with the American colonies.
While the surname KINSLOW is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period and is closely tied to the village of Kinslow in Herefordshire, where it is believed to have originated from.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinslow
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinslow, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinslow 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 Kinslow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 1,577
- Black or African American13.0% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 83
- Two or more races3.8% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinslow
Kinslow 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
#13,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,210
+40 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 741 places
2020
#14,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,030
-180 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,959 | 2,170 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,700 | 2,210 | 0.75 | +40 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 741 places |
| 2020 | #14,199 | 2,030 | 0.68 | -180 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 499 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 Kinslow 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 | #13,700 | #14,199 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,210 | 2,030 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.68 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinslow bearers went from 2,210 to 2,030 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 499 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,700 to #14,199.
FAQ
Kinslow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinslow?
Name Census estimates that about 2,328 living Americans carry the surname Kinslow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,231 residents.
How common is Kinslow?
Kinslow ranks #14,199 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,030 people with the surname Kinslow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,328), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Kinslow.
Has Kinslow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinslow went from 2,210 recorded bearers to 2,030. That is a decrease of 180 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,700 to #14,199.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinslow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinslow, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Kinslow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (1,577 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinslow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (13.0%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Kinslow (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 Kinslow mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "royal grave mound" in Old English, likely referring to a nearby landmark. 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 Kinslow (0.68 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 Kinslow?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Kinslow on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.