2000
#31,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 703
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Culkin
An Irish surname derived from the Irish word "culcin" meaning a reddish-haired person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 784 Americans carry the last name Culkin. That puts it at #35,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 437,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Culkin 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 Culkin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
784
1 in 437,187
Census rank
#35,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
684
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 684 bearers of the surname Culkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Culkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Culkin
The surname Culkin is of Irish origin, originating in County Sligo in the northwest of Ireland. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "culach" meaning "reed" and "dúin" meaning "fort" or "enclosure," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a reed-covered fort or enclosure.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century, with mentions of individuals named Culkin in various historical records from that era. One notable example is a reference to a John Culkin in the 1659 Census of Ireland, which documented landowners and their properties.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name appeared in several Irish parish records and land deeds, particularly in the counties of Sligo, Mayo, and Galway. This suggests that the Culkin family had a significant presence in this region during that time period.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Culkin was Patrick Culkin, who was born in County Sligo in 1680. He was a farmer and landowner, and records indicate that he had several children who carried on the Culkin name.
Another notable figure was Bridget Culkin, born in 1745 in County Mayo. She was a seamstress and is mentioned in local records for her involvement in the local community and church activities.
In the 19th century, the name Culkin began to spread beyond Ireland as many Irish families immigrated to other parts of the world. For instance, Michael Culkin, born in 1825 in County Sligo, emigrated to the United States in the 1850s and settled in New York City, where he worked as a laborer.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Culkin is the American actor Macaulay Culkin, born in 1980. He rose to fame as a child star in the popular "Home Alone" movies and has had a successful acting career spanning several decades.
Other notable individuals with the Culkin surname include James Culkin (1893-1976), an Irish-born American prelate who served as the Bishop of Altoona-Johnstown, and Brian Culkin (born 1968), an American writer and producer known for his work on television shows such as "Scrubs" and "Cougar Town."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Culkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Culkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Culkin 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 Culkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 640
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 15
- Two or more races1.8% · 12
- Black or African American1.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Culkin
Culkin 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
#32,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 716
+13 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,001 places
2020
#35,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 684
-32 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 3,238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,202 | 703 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,203 | 716 | 0.24 | +13 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 1,001 places |
| 2020 | #35,441 | 684 | 0.23 | -32 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 3,238 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 Culkin 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 | #32,203 | #35,441 | -10.1% |
| Count | 716 | 684 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.23 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Culkin bearers went from 716 to 684 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 3,238 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,203 to #35,441.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Culkin
FAQ
Culkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Culkin?
Name Census estimates that about 784 living Americans carry the surname Culkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 437,187 residents.
How common is Culkin?
Culkin ranks #35,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 684 people with the surname Culkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Culkin.
Has Culkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Culkin went from 716 recorded bearers to 684. That is a decrease of 32 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,203 to #35,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Culkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Culkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Culkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (640 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Culkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Culkin (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 Culkin mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Irish word "culcin" meaning a reddish-haired person. 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 Culkin (0.23 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 share the surname Culkin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.