2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kinyanjui
Kikuyu surname indicating the meaning "one who gathers"
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 571 Americans carry the last name Kinyanjui. That puts it at #46,181 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 600,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinyanjui 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
571
1 in 600,270
Census rank
#46,181
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
498
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 498 bearers of the surname Kinyanjui in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46181st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinyanjui, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinyanjui
The surname Kinyanjui originated in Kenya and can be traced back to the 19th century. It is a Kikuyu name, with the prefix 'Kinya' meaning 'of the' and 'njui' meaning 'ostrich'. The name likely referred to someone who had some association with ostriches, perhaps living near an area where they were found or dealing in ostrich products.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kinyanjui appears in a document from the British colonial administration in Kenya, dated 1892. This document lists a man named Kinyanjui as being a local headman in the area that is now known as Kiambu County.
In the early 20th century, a man named Kinyanjui wa Gathirimu (c.1870-1940) was a prominent figure in the Kikuyu community. He was a respected elder and played a significant role in mediating disputes and upholding traditional Kikuyu customs and practices.
Another notable individual with the surname Kinyanjui was Jomo Kenyatta (c.1894-1978), the first Prime Minister and President of independent Kenya. His birth name was Kamau wa Ngengi, but he later adopted the name Kinyanjui as a way of obscuring his identity while studying in England in the 1930s.
In the 1950s, during the Mau Mau uprising against British colonial rule, a man named Dedan Kinyanjui Kimathi (c.1920-1957) emerged as a prominent leader of the rebel forces. He was eventually captured and executed by the British authorities in 1957.
More recently, Wangari Maathai (1940-2011), the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, was born with the surname Kinyanjui. She was a renowned environmental activist and played a leading role in the Green Belt Movement, which focused on planting trees and promoting sustainable development in Kenya.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Kinyanjui throughout history. While the name has its roots in Kenya's Kikuyu community, it has also gained recognition on a global scale due to the accomplishments of some of its notable bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinyanjui
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinyanjui, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinyanjui 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 Kinyanjui surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.8% · 457
- White3.8% · 19
- Two or more races3.2% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinyanjui
Kinyanjui 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
#60,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 331
+226 bearers (+215.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 84,118 places
2020
#46,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 498
+167 bearers (+50.5%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 14,609 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,790 | 331 | 0.11 | +226 bearers (+215.2%) | Up 84,118 places |
| 2020 | #46,181 | 498 | 0.17 | +167 bearers (+50.5%) | Up 14,609 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 Kinyanjui 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 | #60,790 | #46,181 | 24.0% |
| Count | 331 | 498 | 50.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.17 | 51.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinyanjui bearers went from 331 to 498 (+50.5% change). The surname moved up 14,609 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,790 to #46,181.
FAQ
Kinyanjui surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinyanjui?
Name Census estimates that about 571 living Americans carry the surname Kinyanjui. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 600,270 residents.
How common is Kinyanjui?
Kinyanjui ranks #46,181 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 498 people with the surname Kinyanjui. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (571), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Kinyanjui.
Has Kinyanjui become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinyanjui went from 331 recorded bearers to 498. That is an increase of 167 (+50.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #60,790 to #46,181.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinyanjui?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinyanjui, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kinyanjui in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (457 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinyanjui appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (91.8%), White (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Kinyanjui (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 Kinyanjui mean?
Kikuyu surname indicating the meaning "one who gathers" 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 Kinyanjui (0.17 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 Kinyanjui?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.