Kirnon last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Kirnon is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kirnon.

Meaning of Kirnon

A surname derived from the Greek word meaning "brown" or "dark colored".

Kirnon, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kirnon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kirnon in America

Kirnon is the 96799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kirnon surname appeared 188 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kirnon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kirnon to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 96799 90652 6.56%
Count 188 189 -0.53%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.07 -15.38%

The history of the last name Kirnon

The surname Kirnon is believed to have originated in the British Isles during the medieval period, specifically in Scotland and northern England. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "ceàrnan," which means "a small corner or nook." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a remote or isolated area.

One of the earliest known references to the Kirnon name can be found in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls from the late 13th century, where a person named "William de Kernon" is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by that time and had likely been established for several generations prior.

In the 14th century, a document known as the Bain's Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland mentions a "John de Kernon" who was involved in a land dispute. This provides further evidence of the Kirnon name's presence in Scotland during the Middle Ages.

The Kirnon surname has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as the village of Cairnton in Aberdeenshire, which was formerly spelled "Kernton" or "Kernytoun." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been derived from a geographic location.

One notable figure in history who bore the Kirnon surname was Sir Robert Kirnon (c. 1570-1642), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1612 to 1626. He played a significant role in the legal and political affairs of his time.

Another historical figure of note was Alexander Kirnon (1762-1834), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made his fortune in the West Indies trade. He is remembered for his philanthropic contributions, particularly in the field of education.

In the literary world, William Kirnon (1807-1886) was a Scottish poet and author who wrote several works in the Scots dialect. His most famous work, "The Crookit Laird," was a popular narrative poem published in 1842.

Moving forward in time, James Kirnon (1880-1956) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper for several clubs, including Rangers F.C. and the Scottish national team in the early 20th century.

Finally, Elizabeth Kirnon (1923-2010) was a British author and journalist who wrote several books on social issues and contributed to various publications throughout her career.

While the Kirnon surname may not be as widespread as some others, it has a rich history rooted in the Scottish and English traditions, with connections to various notable individuals and locations over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kirnon

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kirnon.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kirnon was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 3.19% 6
Non-Hispanic Black Only 89.36% 168
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.19% 6
Hispanic Origin 3.19% 6

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kirnon has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 3.19% 5.29% -49.53%
Black 89.36% 88.89% 0.53%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 3.19% 3.70% -14.80%
Hispanic 3.19% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kirnon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kirnon, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Kirnon last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/kirnon-surname-popularity/.

"Kirnon last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/kirnon-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Kirnon last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/kirnon-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.