2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kirsop
A locational surname likely deriving from a place name in Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Kirsop. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirsop 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 Kirsop with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Kirsop in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirsop, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirsop
The surname Kirsop originated in Scotland, with early records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a now-lost place name in Scotland, possibly a combination of the Scots Gaelic words "carse" (a fertile plain) and "ob" (a rounded hillock or knoll).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Scottish Parish Registers in 1598, where a James Kirsop is mentioned as residing in Perthshire. Another early reference is found in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1610, which mentions a David Kirsop from Stirlingshire.
The name Kirsop appears to have been concentrated in the central and southern regions of Scotland, particularly in the counties of Perthshire, Stirlingshire, and Lanarkshire. Some variations in spelling include Kersop, Kirsope, and Kersope, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic variations common in historical records.
Notable individuals with the surname Kirsop include:
1. William Kirsop (1698-1773), a Scottish merchant and landowner from Lanarkshire, who played a significant role in the development of the town of Carluke.
2. James Kirsop (1733-1805), a Scottish minister and author from Perthshire, known for his work "A Treatise on the Nature and Causes of Moral Evil."
3. Margaret Kirsop (1786-1862), a Scottish philanthropist from Stirlingshire, who founded several schools and charities for underprivileged children.
4. John Kirsop (1815-1892), a Scottish engineer and inventor from Lanarkshire, credited with designing and constructing some of the earliest steam-powered textile mills in the region.
5. Alexander Kirsop (1872-1944), a Scottish artist and painter from Perthshire, renowned for his landscape paintings depicting the Scottish Highlands.
While the surname Kirsop is relatively uncommon, it has a long and rich history rooted in Scotland, with numerous notable individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirsop
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirsop, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirsop 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 Kirsop surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirsop
Kirsop 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,669 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,669 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 247 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 Kirsop 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 | #150,452 | #150,205 | 0.2% |
| Count | 109 | 109 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirsop bearers went from 109 to 109 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #150,205.
FAQ
Kirsop surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirsop?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Kirsop. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Kirsop?
Kirsop ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Kirsop. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kirsop.
Has Kirsop become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirsop went from 109 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirsop?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirsop, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Kirsop in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirsop appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), Black (1.8%). 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 Kirsop (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 Kirsop mean?
A locational surname likely deriving from a place name in 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 Kirsop (0.04 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 Kirsop?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.