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

Kish, 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 Kish surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kish in America

Kish is the 4072nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kish surname appeared 8,725 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Kish.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kish 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.

The history of the last name Kish

The surname Kish is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'cyst,' meaning a small dwelling or hut, suggesting that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a humble abode.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kish can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273. This document mentions a person named William Kyste, which is likely an early spelling variation of the modern surname Kish.

In the 14th century, the Kish surname appeared in various historical records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a certain Roger Kyst was mentioned in 1317. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in northern England during the medieval period.

The Kish surname is also connected to several place names in England, such as Kish Bank in Nottinghamshire and Kish Farm in Derbyshire. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname in those regions.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Kish throughout history include:

1. Thomas Kish (c. 1570-1639), an English merchant and benefactor who funded the construction of a hospital in Bristol.
2. James Kish (1785-1860), a Scottish-born Canadian farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada.
3. John Kish (1838-1917), an American Civil War veteran and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.
4. Elizabeth Kish (1904-1975), an American artist and illustrator renowned for her woodcut prints and illustrations in children's books.
5. Ivan Kish (1926-2012), a Hungarian-born Canadian artist and sculptor known for his abstract and monumental public sculptures.

While the Kish surname may have originated as a reference to a humble dwelling, it has since been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, politicians, military heroes, artists, and sculptors, leaving an indelible mark on history across multiple continents.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kish

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

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 Kish was:

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 Kish has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Kish was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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