2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kornish
Derived from the English locality name Cornish, signifying someone from Cornwall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Kornish. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kornish 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.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Kornish in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kornish, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kornish
The surname Kornish is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cornisc," which means "from Cornwall." This name was initially given to individuals who hailed from the county of Cornwall in the southwestern part of England.
In the 11th century, the Domesday Book, a detailed survey of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, recorded several individuals with the name Kornish or similar spellings, such as Cornish and Cornyshe. This indicates that the name was already well-established in England during the Norman conquest.
The earliest recorded example of the name Kornish dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a William Cornish was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which were records of landholders and their holdings. Another early mention can be found in the Patent Rolls of 1332, where a John Cornyssh was appointed as a clerk in the royal household.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kornish was often associated with individuals from the Cornish region who migrated to other parts of England. Some notable bearers of the name include Sir Walter Cornish (c. 1450-1516), a prominent lawyer and Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Henry VIII, and Richard Cornish (c. 1520-1581), an English theologian and reformer who served as a canon at Christ Church, Oxford.
In the 16th century, the name Kornish was also found in various records related to Cornwall and its inhabitants. For instance, a John Cornish was recorded as a merchant in Penzance in 1568, while a Thomas Cornish served as the Mayor of Bodmin in 1592.
Another notable figure was Thomas Cornish (c. 1575-1656), an English clergyman and academic who became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 1631. He was a prominent scholar and a staunch advocate for the Church of England during the turbulent times of the English Civil War.
As the centuries passed, the Kornish surname continued to be associated with individuals from Cornwall or those with ancestral ties to the region. Some other notable bearers of the name include James Cornish (1784-1857), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, and Charles John Cornish (1858-1906), an English writer and journalist who authored several books on the history and folklore of Cornwall.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kornish
Among Census respondents with the surname Kornish, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kornish 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 Kornish surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.3% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino15.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kornish
Kornish appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+9 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,298 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 6,298 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 Kornish 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 | #148,347 | #142,049 | 4.2% |
| Count | 111 | 120 | 8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kornish bearers went from 111 to 120 (+8.1% change). The surname moved up 6,298 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #142,049.
FAQ
Kornish surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kornish?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Kornish. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Kornish?
Kornish ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Kornish. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kornish.
Has Kornish become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kornish went from 111 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 9 (+8.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Kornish?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kornish, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Kornish in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kornish appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.3%), Hispanic (15.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Kornish (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 Kornish mean?
Derived from the English locality name Cornish, signifying someone from Cornwall. 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 Kornish (0.04 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 Kornish?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.