2000
#1,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,264
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.88
Uncommon Last name
Kilgore
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Gheairr," meaning "son of the short-haired servant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,727 Americans carry the last name Kilgore. That puts it at #1,697 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,446 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kilgore 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
24K
1 in 14,446
Census rank
#1,697
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,691 bearers of the surname Kilgore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1697th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilgore, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kilgore
The surname Kilgore is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "cill" meaning church and "gobhair" meaning goat. It is believed that the name originated in the Scottish Highlands in the early 12th century, referring to someone who lived near a church or a churchyard where goats were commonly found.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Kilgore dates back to 1296, when a William de Kylgour is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homages sworn to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles. This suggests that the name may have been anglicized to Kilgore from the original Gaelic form during this period.
In the 16th century, the name Kilgore appeared in various records and manuscripts, such as the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, where a John Kilgour is mentioned in 1545. The spelling variations during this time included Kilgour, Kilgoure, and Kilgore.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Kilgore was Sir Robert Kilgour, a Scottish merchant and burgess of Aberdeen, who lived from 1532 to 1599. He played a significant role in the development of trade and commerce in the city.
Another prominent individual was David Kilgour, born in 1682, who served as the Lord of Session, a judge in the College of Justice in Scotland, from 1735 until his death in 1760.
In the 19th century, John Kilgour (1835-1912) was a prominent Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Kilgour Library in Islington, London.
James Kilgore (1850-1928), a Scottish-American politician, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas from 1901 to 1913.
Lastly, Merritt Kilgore (1861-1939) was an American politician and businessman from Texas, who served as the Mayor of Corpus Christi from 1909 to 1915.
The surname Kilgore has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands, and its variations have been documented in various records and manuscripts throughout the centuries, with notable individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kilgore
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilgore, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kilgore 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 Kilgore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 16,329
- Black or African American12.2% · 2,521
- Two or more races4.6% · 950
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 642
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 106
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kilgore
Kilgore 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
#1,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,627
+363 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 7.33
Rank movement Down 119 places
2020
#1,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,691
-936 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.92
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,548 | 21,264 | 7.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,667 | 21,627 | 7.33 | +363 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 119 places |
| 2020 | #1,697 | 20,691 | 6.92 | -936 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 30 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 Kilgore 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 | #1,667 | #1,697 | -1.8% |
| Count | 21,627 | 20,691 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 7.33 | 6.92 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kilgore bearers went from 21,627 to 20,691 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,667 to #1,697.
FAQ
Kilgore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kilgore?
Name Census estimates that about 23,727 living Americans carry the surname Kilgore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,446 residents.
How common is Kilgore?
Kilgore ranks #1,697 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,691 people with the surname Kilgore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Kilgore.
Has Kilgore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kilgore went from 21,627 recorded bearers to 20,691. That is a decrease of 936 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,667 to #1,697.
What does the Census say about the background of Kilgore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilgore, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Kilgore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (16,329 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kilgore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (12.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Kilgore (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 Kilgore mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Gheairr," meaning "son of the short-haired servant." 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 Kilgore (6.92 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 common is the surname Kilgore?
See how many Americans have the surname Kilgore on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.