2000
#6,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,582
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Killingsworth
A locational surname referring to someone from Killingworth, England, meaning "Cylla's enclosure" or "kiln enclosure."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,277 Americans carry the last name Killingsworth. That puts it at #7,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Killingsworth 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 Killingsworth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,952
Census rank
#7,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,602 bearers of the surname Killingsworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Killingsworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Killingsworth
The surname Killingsworth has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period of the 11th to 15th centuries. It is an Anglo-Saxon locational name derived from a place called Killingworth, which was likely a former settlement or parish within England. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "cyling" meaning young man or servant, and "worth" meaning an enclosed settlement or farm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Killingsworth name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Killingworth, suggesting the name was already established by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a Roger de Killingworth who held lands in Northamptonshire, indicating the name's connection to that region of England. During the same period, a Robert de Killingworth was documented as a member of the clergy in the city of York.
Sir Robert Killingsworth, born in 1492, was a prominent figure during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as a member of the King's Privy Council and was appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, a prestigious position overseeing the coastal defenses of southeastern England.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Killingsworth, born in 1607, who was among the early Puritan settlers of New England. He sailed aboard the ship Mary and John in 1630 and became one of the founders of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts.
In the 18th century, John Killingsworth, born in 1732, was a respected merchant and landowner in the colony of Virginia. His estate, known as Killingsworth Plantation, was located along the James River and played a role in the American Revolutionary War as a staging ground for military operations.
These historical examples demonstrate the longevity and significance of the Killingsworth surname, which has its roots in the medieval settlements of England and has been carried by individuals of prominence throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Killingsworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Killingsworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Killingsworth 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 Killingsworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.4% · 3,423
- Black or African American15.3% · 704
- Two or more races4.7% · 216
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 171
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Killingsworth
Killingsworth 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
#7,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,686
+104 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 354 places
2020
#7,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,602
-84 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Up 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,781 | 4,582 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,135 | 4,686 | 1.59 | +104 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 354 places |
| 2020 | #7,034 | 4,602 | 1.54 | -84 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 101 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 Killingsworth 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 | #7,135 | #7,034 | 1.4% |
| Count | 4,686 | 4,602 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.54 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Killingsworth bearers went from 4,686 to 4,602 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,135 to #7,034.
FAQ
Killingsworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Killingsworth?
Name Census estimates that about 5,277 living Americans carry the surname Killingsworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,952 residents.
How common is Killingsworth?
Killingsworth ranks #7,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,602 people with the surname Killingsworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,277), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Killingsworth.
Has Killingsworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Killingsworth went from 4,686 recorded bearers to 4,602. That is a decrease of 84 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,135 to #7,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Killingsworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Killingsworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Killingsworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.4% (3,423 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Killingsworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.4%), Black (15.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Killingsworth (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 Killingsworth mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Killingworth, England, meaning "Cylla's enclosure" or "kiln enclosure." 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 Killingsworth (1.54 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 Killingsworth?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Killingsworth is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.