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

Kittle, 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 Kittle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kittle in America

Kittle is the 7791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kittle surname appeared 4,253 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kittle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kittle 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 Kittle

The surname Kittle originated in England, deriving from the Old English word "cytel," which means "kite" or a small hawk. It is believed to have been an occupational surname given to a person who worked as a keeper of hawks or falcons, also known as a kyteler or kiteler.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273 as Richard le Kiteler. This suggests that the name was already in use during this time period, potentially even earlier.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various forms, including Kitteler, Kyteler, and Kytteler, reflecting the different spellings and pronunciations of the time. It was particularly prevalent in counties such as Huntingdonshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire.

One notable historical figure bearing the name was Alice Kyteler, an Irish woman from the early 14th century who was accused of witchcraft and heresy. Her trial in 1324 garnered significant attention and became one of the earliest known instances of witchcraft accusations in medieval Europe.

In the 16th century, the surname Kittle began to appear more frequently in records, such as the Parish Registers of Buckinghamshire, where the name was recorded as Kyttle. During this period, the name also had variations like Kittell and Kittle.

Notable individuals with the surname Kittle include John Kittle (1638-1702), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Oxford. Another was William Kittle (1765-1841), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Ohio.

Samuel Kittle (1804-1884) was a prominent American industrialist and inventor who established the Kittle Iron Works in Philadelphia, contributing significantly to the development of the iron industry in the United States.

In the 19th century, James Kittle (1835-1909) was a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria and played a role in the formation of the Australian Labor Party.

More recently, George Kittle (born 1993) is an American football player who currently plays as a tight end for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kittle

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

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

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

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