2000
#2,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,234
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.28
Uncommon Last name
Kearns
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Ceirin," meaning "descendant of Ceirin," a personal name of uncertain meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,115 Americans carry the last name Kearns. That puts it at #2,502 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,269 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kearns 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 Kearns with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,269
Census rank
#2,502
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,053 bearers of the surname Kearns in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2502nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kearns, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kearns
The surname Kearns originates from Ireland and dates back to the early medieval period. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Ciaráin, meaning "descendant of Ciarán." Ciarán was a popular Irish name derived from the word "ciar," meaning "dusky" or "dark-featured."
The earliest known record of the name Kearns appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention several individuals bearing the name Ó Ciaráin, including Muircheartach Ó Ciaráin, a notable Irish chieftain who lived in the 12th century.
In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, many Irish surnames underwent anglicization. The Gaelic Ó Ciaráin became Kearns, Kearns, and Kerns, among other variations. The name was particularly prevalent in County Mayo and County Sligo in the west of Ireland.
One notable figure with the surname Kearns was Philip Kearns (c. 1619-1695), an Irish Catholic priest who served as the Archbishop of Cashel from 1670 until his death. He played a significant role in preserving the Catholic faith during the Penal Laws in Ireland.
Another historical figure was John Kearns (1809-1886), an Irish-American businessman and politician. He served as the 40th Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1857 to 1858.
Bridget Kearns (1820-1888), an Irish-American immigrant, is known for her involvement in the labor movement and her advocacy for workers' rights. She played a pivotal role in the organization of the 1836 strike by female textile workers in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Sir Jonathan Kearns (1886-1967) was a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of Malta from 1954 to 1957.
In the United States, the name Kearns is often associated with the mining town of Kearns, Utah, which was founded in 1892 and named after Thomas Kearns (1862-1918), a successful mining engineer and industrialist.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kearns
Among Census respondents with the surname Kearns, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kearns 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 Kearns surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 12,605
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 470
- Two or more races3.3% · 461
- Black or African American2.6% · 368
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 116
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kearns
Kearns 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
#2,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,136
+902 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 5.13
Rank movement Down 64 places
2020
#2,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,053
-1,083 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 4.70
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,330 | 14,234 | 5.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,394 | 15,136 | 5.13 | +902 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 64 places |
| 2020 | #2,502 | 14,053 | 4.70 | -1,083 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 108 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 Kearns 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 | #2,394 | #2,502 | -4.5% |
| Count | 15,136 | 14,053 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.13 | 4.70 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kearns bearers went from 15,136 to 14,053 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,394 to #2,502.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kearns
FAQ
Kearns surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kearns?
Name Census estimates that about 16,115 living Americans carry the surname Kearns. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,269 residents.
How common is Kearns?
Kearns ranks #2,502 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,053 people with the surname Kearns. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Kearns.
Has Kearns become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kearns went from 15,136 recorded bearers to 14,053. That is a decrease of 1,083 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,394 to #2,502.
What does the Census say about the background of Kearns?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kearns, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Kearns in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (12,605 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kearns appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (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 Kearns (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 Kearns mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Ceirin," meaning "descendant of Ceirin," a personal name of uncertain meaning. 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 Kearns (4.70 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 Kearns?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.