2000
#3,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,753
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.24
Rare Last name
Kaye
A variant of Kay, derived from Old English or Welsh, meaning "rejoice" or "keeper of the keys."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,454 Americans carry the last name Kaye. That puts it at #4,159 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,255 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaye 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 Kaye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.5K
1 in 36,255
Census rank
#4,159
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,244 bearers of the surname Kaye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4159th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaye, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaye
The surname Kaye originated in the region of Normandy in France. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "caye," which referred to a small quay or landing place along a river or coast. This suggests that the name may have been occupational in origin, likely referring to someone who worked at or lived near a quay.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kaye can be traced back to the 11th century in Normandy. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, contains several entries with variations of the name, such as "de la Caye" and "de Kaye."
As the Normans expanded their influence across Europe, the name Kaye spread to various regions, including England and Scotland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John de Kaye, a Norman knight who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
The name Kaye has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir John Kaye (1783-1858) was a British military historian and author who wrote extensively on the British Empire in India. Sir Joseph Kaye (1815-1886) was an English lawyer and Conservative politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1871.
Another prominent figure was John William Kaye (1814-1876), a British historian and author best known for his works on the British Indian Empire. He served as a professor of history at the East India Company College and later became the secretary of the Political and Secret Department of the India Office.
In the realm of literature, Sir John Kaye-Lethbridge (1847-1930) was an English writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories under the pen name "Walter Herries Pollock."
The name Kaye has also been associated with various place names, such as Kaye's Cottage in Gloucestershire, England, and the village of Kaye in Newfoundland, Canada.
While the name Kaye originated in Normandy, it has since spread across various regions and cultures, with bearers of the name making significant contributions in fields such as military, politics, literature, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaye
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaye, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaye 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 Kaye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 7,226
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 280
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 275
- Two or more races2.6% · 211
- Black or African American1.7% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 110
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaye
Kaye 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
#4,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,627
-126 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Down 393 places
2020
#4,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,244
-383 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,720 | 8,753 | 3.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,113 | 8,627 | 2.92 | -126 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 393 places |
| 2020 | #4,159 | 8,244 | 2.76 | -383 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 46 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 Kaye 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 | #4,113 | #4,159 | -1.1% |
| Count | 8,627 | 8,244 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.92 | 2.76 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaye bearers went from 8,627 to 8,244 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,113 to #4,159.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kaye
FAQ
Kaye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaye?
Name Census estimates that about 9,454 living Americans carry the surname Kaye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,255 residents.
How common is Kaye?
Kaye ranks #4,159 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,244 people with the surname Kaye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,454), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kaye.
Has Kaye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaye went from 8,627 recorded bearers to 8,244. That is a decrease of 383 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,113 to #4,159.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaye, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Kaye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (7,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Kaye (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 Kaye mean?
A variant of Kay, derived from Old English or Welsh, meaning "rejoice" or "keeper of the keys." 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 Kaye (2.76 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 Americans have the surname Kaye?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.