2000
#2,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,478
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.37
Uncommon Last name
Kitchen
An occupational surname for someone who worked in a kitchen or was a cook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,842 Americans carry the last name Kitchen. That puts it at #2,551 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,636 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kitchen 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 Kitchen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,636
Census rank
#2,551
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,815 bearers of the surname Kitchen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2551st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitchen, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kitchen
The surname KITCHEN originated in England, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cycene," which referred to a kitchen or cooking room. The name likely denoted someone who worked in the kitchen, either as a cook or a servant responsible for maintaining the kitchen area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KITCHEN surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de la Kuchene." This early spelling reflects the French influence on English at the time, with the addition of the preposition "de la" meaning "of the."
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various records as "Kychene," "Kychyn," and "Kychener," indicating the evolving spelling and pronunciation of the name over time. The widespread use of the KITCHEN surname during this period suggests that it gained popularity across different regions of England.
The KITCHEN name is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 for the county of Somerset, where a John de la Kychene is listed as a taxpayer. This record provides evidence of the surname's presence in the southwestern part of England during the medieval era.
One notable figure from history bearing the KITCHEN surname was William KITCHEN, a 16th-century English clergyman who served as the Dean of Windsor from 1563 until his death in 1568. He played a significant role in the Church of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another individual of note was Thomas KITCHEN (1621-1659), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Ripon during the Protectorate under Oliver Cromwell. He was a staunch supporter of the parliamentary cause during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, John KITCHEN (1736-1810) was a prominent English engraver and printmaker known for his detailed engravings of architectural subjects, including churches and cathedrals.
Moving to the 19th century, William KITCHEN (1823-1907) was an English civil engineer who made significant contributions to the development of railway systems in India. He served as the chief engineer for various railway projects during the British Raj.
Finally, a more recent figure with the KITCHEN surname was Michael KITCHEN (born 1948), a renowned British actor best known for his roles in television series such as Foyle's War and Grantchester. He has had a prolific career in film, television, and theater spanning several decades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kitchen
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitchen, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kitchen 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 Kitchen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 10,580
- Black or African American14.5% · 2,010
- Two or more races4.0% · 551
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 506
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kitchen
Kitchen 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
#2,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,170
+692 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 5.14
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#2,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,815
-1,355 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,298 | 14,478 | 5.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,390 | 15,170 | 5.14 | +692 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #2,551 | 13,815 | 4.62 | -1,355 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 161 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 Kitchen 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 | #2,390 | #2,551 | -6.7% |
| Count | 15,170 | 13,815 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.14 | 4.62 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kitchen bearers went from 15,170 to 13,815 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 161 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,390 to #2,551.
FAQ
Kitchen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kitchen?
Name Census estimates that about 15,842 living Americans carry the surname Kitchen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,636 residents.
How common is Kitchen?
Kitchen ranks #2,551 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,815 people with the surname Kitchen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,842), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Kitchen.
Has Kitchen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kitchen went from 15,170 recorded bearers to 13,815. That is a decrease of 1,355 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,390 to #2,551.
What does the Census say about the background of Kitchen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitchen, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Kitchen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (10,580 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kitchen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (14.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Kitchen (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 Kitchen mean?
An occupational surname for someone who worked in a kitchen or was a cook. 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 Kitchen (4.62 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 Kitchen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.