2000
#7,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,279
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Kitts
An English toponymic surname derived from the Isle of Wight's Kyd or Kite hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,528 Americans carry the last name Kitts. That puts it at #8,044 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,697 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kitts 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 Kitts with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,697
Census rank
#8,044
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,949 bearers of the surname Kitts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8044th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitts, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kitts
The surname "KITTS" is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cyt", meaning a small dwelling or hut. Variations of the spelling include "Kitt", "Kitte", and "Kytt".
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mentions a John Kitte. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any instances of the surname, suggesting it emerged later in the Middle Ages.
The name may also be related to the place name "Kittisford", a small village in Somerset, England. This place name is derived from the Old English words "cyte" (hut) and "ford" (a shallow river crossing), indicating that the surname could have originated from individuals who lived near or came from this location.
Notable individuals with the surname "KITTS" throughout history include:
1. Sir John Kitts (c. 1520-1594), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Thomas Kitts (1600-1673), an early settler in the British colony of Virginia and a member of the House of Burgesses.
3. William Kitts (1804-1878), an English architect best known for designing several churches in London and the surrounding areas.
4. Edith Kitts (1856-1932), a British suffragette and campaigner for women's rights in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
5. Arthur Kitts (1891-1964), a Canadian politician who served as a Member of Parliament for over 20 years and held various cabinet positions.
While the surname "KITTS" is not among the most common in English-speaking regions, it has a long and traceable history, with roots dating back to the medieval period and connections to specific locations in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kitts
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitts, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kitts 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 Kitts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 3,580
- Two or more races3.4% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 114
- Black or African American2.3% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kitts
Kitts 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
#6,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,045
+766 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Up 499 places
2020
#8,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,949
-1,096 bearers (-21.7%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 1,350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,193 | 4,279 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,694 | 5,045 | 1.71 | +766 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 499 places |
| 2020 | #8,044 | 3,949 | 1.32 | -1,096 bearers (-21.7%) | Down 1,350 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 Kitts 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 | #6,694 | #8,044 | -20.2% |
| Count | 5,045 | 3,949 | -21.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.32 | -22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kitts bearers went from 5,045 to 3,949 (-21.7% change). The surname moved down 1,350 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,694 to #8,044.
FAQ
Kitts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kitts?
Name Census estimates that about 4,528 living Americans carry the surname Kitts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,697 residents.
How common is Kitts?
Kitts ranks #8,044 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,949 people with the surname Kitts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,528), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Kitts.
Has Kitts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kitts went from 5,045 recorded bearers to 3,949. That is a decrease of 1,096 (-21.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,694 to #8,044.
What does the Census say about the background of Kitts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitts, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Kitts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (3,580 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kitts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Kitts (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 Kitts mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from the Isle of Wight's Kyd or Kite hill. 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 Kitts (1.32 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 last name Kitts?
See how many Americans have the surname Kitts on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.