2000
#16,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,565
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Kind
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "kint" meaning "child".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,029 Americans carry the last name Kind. That puts it at #15,858 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kind 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 Kind with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 168,928
Census rank
#15,858
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,769 bearers of the surname Kind in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15858th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kind, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kind
The surname "Kind" is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 12th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "kint," meaning "child" or "offspring." It is thought to have been initially used as a descriptive surname, referring to a person's status as a child or a younger family member.
The earliest recorded instances of the "Kind" surname can be found in medieval German records and documents. For example, a certain Henrich Kind was mentioned in a historical record from the city of Cologne in the year 1283. Another early reference is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Brandenburg region, where a person named Johannes Kind is listed in an entry dated 1312.
Over the centuries, the surname "Kind" has been associated with various notable individuals. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Conrad Kind, a German monk and theologian who lived in the late 15th century (c. 1445-1505). He was a prominent figure in the religious reformist movement of his time and authored several influential works on theology and ecclesiastical law.
Another historical figure with the "Kind" surname was Johann Friedrich Kind, a German philosopher and educator who lived in the 18th century (1768-1843). He was a proponent of the educational philosophy of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and played a significant role in the development of modern educational methods in Germany.
In the realm of literature, the name "Kind" is associated with Johann Baptist Kind, an Austrian writer and poet who lived in the 19th century (1814-1886). He is best known for his poetic works that celebrated the beauty of nature and the Austrian countryside.
The "Kind" surname can also be found in the annals of science and exploration. One notable bearer of the name was Richard Kind, a German explorer and naturalist who lived in the late 19th century (1842-1913). He led several expeditions to South America and made significant contributions to the study of the region's flora and fauna.
Another historical figure worth mentioning is Gottlieb Kind, a German inventor and engineer who lived in the 19th century (1808-1879). He is credited with developing several innovative designs for steam engines and other industrial machinery, which played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution.
While the "Kind" surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and cultural exchanges. Today, people bearing the name "Kind" can be found in various countries, each with their own unique stories and connections to the surname's rich historical legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kind
Among Census respondents with the surname Kind, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kind 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 Kind surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 1,406
- Black or African American13.5% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 62
- Two or more races2.7% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kind
Kind 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
#17,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,574
+9 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 996 places
2020
#15,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,769
+195 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 1,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,793 | 1,565 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,789 | 1,574 | 0.53 | +9 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 996 places |
| 2020 | #15,858 | 1,769 | 0.59 | +195 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 1,931 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 Kind 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 | #17,789 | #15,858 | 10.9% |
| Count | 1,574 | 1,769 | 12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.59 | 11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kind bearers went from 1,574 to 1,769 (+12.4% change). The surname moved up 1,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,789 to #15,858.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kind
FAQ
Kind surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kind?
Name Census estimates that about 2,029 living Americans carry the surname Kind. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,928 residents.
How common is Kind?
Kind ranks #15,858 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,769 people with the surname Kind. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,029), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kind.
Has Kind become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kind went from 1,574 recorded bearers to 1,769. That is an increase of 195 (+12.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,789 to #15,858.
What does the Census say about the background of Kind?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kind, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kind in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (1,406 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kind appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Black (13.5%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kind (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 Kind mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "kint" meaning "child". 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 Kind (0.59 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 Kind?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.