2000
#6,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,230
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Kirksey
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "church island" in Old Norse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,286 Americans carry the last name Kirksey. That puts it at #6,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirksey 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
6.3K
1 in 54,527
Census rank
#6,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,482 bearers of the surname Kirksey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirksey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirksey
The surname Kirksey is believed to have originated in England, with its roots dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Old English words "cirice" and "ey," which collectively translate to "church island" or "church meadow." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location or settlement that was situated near a church on an island or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kirksey can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties across England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with variations of the name, such as Chircheseia and Kyrkesaye, indicating that the name was already in use during the 11th century.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Kirksey has been associated with various notable individuals. One prominent figure was Sir John Kirksey (1597-1677), a wealthy merchant and politician from London who served as the Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1654. Another individual of note was John Kirksey (1715-1770), an English mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the field of celestial mechanics.
In the literary world, Elizabeth Kirksey (1854-1934), an American author and poet, gained recognition for her works, which included several volumes of poetry and short stories. Additionally, the name Kirksey has been linked to geographical locations, such as Kirksey, a village in Cambridgeshire, England, which may have influenced the name's origins.
Other notable individuals bearing the surname Kirksey include William Kirksey (1768-1837), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Thomas Kirksey (1804-1879), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
It is worth noting that the surname Kirksey has undergone various spelling variations over time, such as Kirkby, Kirkbey, and Kirkeby, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, rooted in the concept of a church or religious settlement situated on an island or meadow.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirksey
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirksey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirksey 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 Kirksey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.6% · 2,883
- White38.2% · 2,092
- Two or more races5.2% · 284
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 182
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirksey
Kirksey 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
#6,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,654
+424 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#6,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,482
-172 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Up 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,050 | 5,230 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,068 | 5,654 | 1.92 | +424 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #6,026 | 5,482 | 1.83 | -172 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 42 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 Kirksey 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 | #6,068 | #6,026 | 0.7% |
| Count | 5,654 | 5,482 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.83 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirksey bearers went from 5,654 to 5,482 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,068 to #6,026.
FAQ
Kirksey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirksey?
Name Census estimates that about 6,286 living Americans carry the surname Kirksey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,527 residents.
How common is Kirksey?
Kirksey ranks #6,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,482 people with the surname Kirksey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,286), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kirksey.
Has Kirksey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirksey went from 5,654 recorded bearers to 5,482. That is a decrease of 172 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,068 to #6,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirksey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirksey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Kirksey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.6% (2,883 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirksey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.6%), White (38.2%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Kirksey (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 Kirksey mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "church island" in Old Norse. 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 Kirksey (1.83 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 Americans have the surname Kirksey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.