2000
#29,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 749
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Kielty
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "cuilteach" meaning cultivator or farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 929 Americans carry the last name Kielty. That puts it at #30,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 368,950 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kielty 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 Kielty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
929
1 in 368,950
Census rank
#30,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
810
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 810 bearers of the surname Kielty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kielty, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kielty
The surname Kielty originated in Ireland and is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "ciaológ" meaning "frequenter of churches or chapels". This name is believed to have first appeared in the county of Donegal in the northwest of Ireland.
The earliest known record of the surname Kielty can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the early 17th century. In these annals, the name is spelled "Ciaológ" and refers to a family from the region of Inishowen in Donegal.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the anglicized spelling of "Kielty" began to emerge as the Gaelic name was adapted to the English language. This was a common occurrence as many Irish names were anglicized during this period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Kielty surname was Patrick Kielty, a Catholic priest born in Donegal in 1620. He was known for his work in establishing several churches and chapels in the area, which may have contributed to the origin of the family name.
Another notable Kielty was John Kielty, born in County Tyrone in 1745. He was a prominent merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the economic development of the region during the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, the Kielty surname began to spread beyond Ireland as many Irish families emigrated to other parts of the world. One notable bearer of the name during this time was Michael Kielty, born in Donegal in 1820. He emigrated to the United States and became a successful businessman in New York City.
Other notable individuals with the surname Kielty include:
1. Patrick Kielty, a Northern Irish comedian and television presenter born in 1971.
2. Kathleen Kielty, an Irish actress and singer born in 1935 and known for her roles in several films and television shows.
3. John Kielty, an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century, born in 1884.
4. James Kielty, an Irish politician and member of the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) in the 1920s, born in 1885.
5. Elizabeth Kielty, an Irish author and poet born in 1945, known for her works exploring themes of identity and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kielty
Among Census respondents with the surname Kielty, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kielty 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 Kielty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 741
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 28
- Two or more races2.8% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kielty
Kielty 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
#29,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 805
+56 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Up 296 places
2020
#30,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 810
+5 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,415 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,662 | 749 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,366 | 805 | 0.27 | +56 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 296 places |
| 2020 | #30,781 | 810 | 0.27 | +5 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 1,415 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 Kielty 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 | #29,366 | #30,781 | -4.8% |
| Count | 805 | 810 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kielty bearers went from 805 to 810 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 1,415 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,366 to #30,781.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kielty
FAQ
Kielty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kielty?
Name Census estimates that about 929 living Americans carry the surname Kielty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 368,950 residents.
How common is Kielty?
Kielty ranks #30,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 810 people with the surname Kielty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Kielty.
Has Kielty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kielty went from 805 recorded bearers to 810. That is an increase of 5 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,366 to #30,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Kielty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kielty, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kielty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (741 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kielty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kielty (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 Kielty mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "cuilteach" meaning cultivator or farmer. 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 Kielty (0.27 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 Kielty?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.