2000
#7,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Kittle
Derived from Middle English "kitel," referring to a maker or seller of kettles or cauldrons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,546 Americans carry the last name Kittle. That puts it at #8,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kittle 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 Kittle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,397
Census rank
#8,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,964 bearers of the surname Kittle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kittle
Among Census respondents with the surname Kittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kittle 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 Kittle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 3,602
- Two or more races3.7% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 107
- Black or African American1.8% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kittle
Kittle 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
#7,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,253
+54 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 480 places
2020
#8,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,964
-289 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 227 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,311 | 4,199 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,791 | 4,253 | 1.44 | +54 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 480 places |
| 2020 | #8,018 | 3,964 | 1.33 | -289 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 227 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 Kittle 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 | #7,791 | #8,018 | -2.9% |
| Count | 4,253 | 3,964 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.33 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kittle bearers went from 4,253 to 3,964 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 227 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,791 to #8,018.
FAQ
Kittle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kittle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,546 living Americans carry the surname Kittle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,397 residents.
How common is Kittle?
Kittle ranks #8,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,964 people with the surname Kittle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,546), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kittle.
Has Kittle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kittle went from 4,253 recorded bearers to 3,964. That is a decrease of 289 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,791 to #8,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Kittle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kittle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kittle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (3,602 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kittle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kittle (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 Kittle mean?
Derived from Middle English "kitel," referring to a maker or seller of kettles or cauldrons. 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 Kittle (1.33 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 Kittle?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Kittle, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.