2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kirkaldy
A locational surname derived from Kirkcaldy, a town in Fife, Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Kirkaldy. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirkaldy 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 Kirkaldy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Kirkaldy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirkaldy, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Hispanic (16.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirkaldy
The surname Kirkaldy has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Kirkcaldy in Fife, which means "church from the caulders" or "church among the hawkers" in old Scots language. The name was first recorded as Kyrkcaledur in 1159.
Kirkcaldy was a significant burgh in medieval Scotland, and the name Kirkaldy appears in various historical records from the 13th century onwards. One notable reference is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where several individuals with the surname Kirkaldy are listed as swearing fealty to Edward I of England.
The earliest recorded individual with the surname Kirkaldy was Adam de Kirkaldy, who is mentioned in a charter from around 1250. Another early bearer of the name was Sir Michael de Kirkaldy, who was a Scottish knight and landowner in the 14th century.
During the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Kirkaldys were staunch supporters of Robert the Bruce. Sir James Kirkaldy of Grange was a prominent military leader who fought alongside King Robert I and was rewarded with lands for his loyalty.
In the 16th century, Sir William Kirkaldy of Grange gained notoriety as a supporter of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. He played a crucial role in the Siege of St. Andrews Castle in 1546-1547 and later became the governor of Edinburgh Castle. However, he was eventually executed for treason in 1573 after opposing the authority of the Scottish regent.
Another notable individual with the surname Kirkaldy was Sir David Kirkaldy of Grange, who was a Scottish military commander and royalist during the English Civil War in the 17th century. He fought for King Charles I and was involved in various battles and sieges before being captured and executed in 1649.
The Kirkaldy name has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling throughout history, such as Kirkcaldy, Kyrcaldy, Kircaldy, and Kirkcaldye. It has also been borne by several other historical figures, including David Kirkaldy of Grange, a 17th-century Scottish judge, and Sir William Kirkaldy of Grange, a 19th-century Scottish politician and landowner.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirkaldy
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirkaldy, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Hispanic (16.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirkaldy 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 Kirkaldy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.0% · 57
- Black or African American23.0% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino16.0% · 16
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirkaldy
Kirkaldy 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,548 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-10 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,548 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 6,287 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 Kirkaldy 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 | #149,395 | #155,682 | -4.2% |
| Count | 110 | 100 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirkaldy bearers went from 110 to 100 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 6,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #155,682.
FAQ
Kirkaldy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirkaldy?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Kirkaldy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Kirkaldy?
Kirkaldy ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Kirkaldy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kirkaldy.
Has Kirkaldy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirkaldy went from 110 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirkaldy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirkaldy, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Hispanic (16.0%). 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 Kirkaldy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.0% (57 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirkaldy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.0%), Black (23.0%), Hispanic (16.0%). 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 Kirkaldy (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 Kirkaldy mean?
A locational surname derived from Kirkcaldy, a town in Fife, Scotland. 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 Kirkaldy (0.03 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 are called Kirkaldy?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Kirkaldy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.