2000
#3,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.83
Uncommon Last name
Kitchens
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked in the kitchens of a large household or estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,786 Americans carry the last name Kitchens. That puts it at #3,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,081 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kitchens 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 Kitchens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,081
Census rank
#3,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,278 bearers of the surname Kitchens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitchens, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kitchens
The surname Kitchens is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "cycene" or "cycene-hus," meaning "kitchen" or "cookhouse." This suggests that the name likely originated from someone who worked as a cook or lived near the kitchen or cookhouse of a manor or estate.
The earliest recorded instance of the Kitchens surname dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195 as "Radulphus de Kuchene." This early spelling variation highlights the name's connection to the Old English word for kitchen.
In the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are several references to places with names derived from "cycene," such as "Cuchenes" in Hertfordshire and "Cuchenehalla" in Norfolk. These place names may have contributed to the formation of the Kitchens surname.
One notable bearer of the Kitchens surname was John Kitchens (c. 1500-1563), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Llandaff and later as the Bishop of Bath and Wells during the reigns of Edward VI and Elizabeth I.
Another historical figure was William Kitchens (1592-1661), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and was known for his involvement in the Westminster Assembly, a pivotal event in the English Reformation.
In the literary realm, John Kitchens (1723-1801) was an English poet and writer who published several works, including "The Traveller's Guide in Fourteen Sections" and "The Theory of Courting."
Moving to the United States, John Kitchens (1775-1845) was an early settler in Alabama and served as a judge in the Mississippi Territory, playing a significant role in the state's early legal history.
Another notable American with the Kitchens surname was William Edward Kitchens (1865-1942), a lawyer and politician from Mississippi who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1909 to 1923.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kitchens
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitchens, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kitchens 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 Kitchens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.1% · 8,133
- Black or African American12.7% · 1,302
- Two or more races4.4% · 457
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kitchens
Kitchens 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
#3,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,647
+326 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 3.61
Rank movement Down 170 places
2020
#3,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,278
-369 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 3.44
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,189 | 10,321 | 3.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,359 | 10,647 | 3.61 | +326 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 170 places |
| 2020 | #3,403 | 10,278 | 3.44 | -369 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 44 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 Kitchens 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 | #3,359 | #3,403 | -1.3% |
| Count | 10,647 | 10,278 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.61 | 3.44 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kitchens bearers went from 10,647 to 10,278 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,359 to #3,403.
FAQ
Kitchens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kitchens?
Name Census estimates that about 11,786 living Americans carry the surname Kitchens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,081 residents.
How common is Kitchens?
Kitchens ranks #3,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,278 people with the surname Kitchens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kitchens.
Has Kitchens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kitchens went from 10,647 recorded bearers to 10,278. That is a decrease of 369 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,359 to #3,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Kitchens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitchens, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Kitchens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (8,133 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kitchens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.1%), Black (12.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Kitchens (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 Kitchens mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked in the kitchens of a large household or estate. 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 Kitchens (3.44 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 are called Kitchens?
See how many people have the last name Kitchens on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.