2000
#35
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 438,986
First available Census row
Per 100,000 162.73
Very Common Last name
King
A surname of English origin referring to a tribal leader or head of a clan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 520,085 Americans carry the last name King. That puts it at #36 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 151.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the King 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 King with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
520K
1 in 659
Census rank
#36
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
151.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
454K
very common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 453,539 bearers of the surname King in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 151.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname King, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of King
The surname KING is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word 'cyning', meaning a sovereign ruler or monarch. The name originated in England, with records dating back to the 11th century.
The KING surname is believed to have first emerged as a descriptive name for someone who held a position of authority or leadership within a community, such as a local lord or landowner. It may have also been used to refer to someone who acted or carried themselves in a regal or commanding manner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KING surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as 'Kinge' and is found in various counties across the country.
During the Middle Ages, the KING surname began to spread throughout England, and variations in spelling emerged, such as Kinge, Kyng, and Kynge. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.
Notable historical figures with the surname KING include William King (1663-1712), an English poet and advocate of the Church of England; Edward King (1612-1637), an English poet and author of the elegy "Lycidas" written in memory of John Milton; and John King (1559-1621), an English bishop and scholar who served as the Bishop of London.
Other prominent individuals with the KING surname include Peter King (1669-1734), an English lawyer and philosopher; William Rufus King (1786-1853), an American politician who served as the 13th Vice President of the United States; and Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), the renowned American civil rights activist and leader of the African-American civil rights movement.
Throughout history, the KING surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Kingsdown in Kent, Kingswood in Gloucestershire, and Kingsley in Cheshire, among others. These place names likely derived from the presence of individuals with the KING surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for King
Among Census respondents with the surname King, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how King 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 King surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.5% · 306,247
- Black or African American22.3% · 101,005
- Two or more races4.5% · 20,585
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 16,225
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 5,191
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 4,286
Timeline
Historical Census data for King
King 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
#34
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465,422
+26,436 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 157.78
Rank movement Up 1 places
2020
#36
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 453,539
-11,883 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 151.74
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35 | 438,986 | 162.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34 | 465,422 | 157.78 | +26,436 bearers (+6.0%) | Up 1 places |
| 2020 | #36 | 453,539 | 151.74 | -11,883 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 2 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 King 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 | #34 | #36 | -5.9% |
| Count | 465,422 | 453,539 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 157.78 | 151.74 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of King bearers went from 465,422 to 453,539 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #34 to #36.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname King
FAQ
King surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname King?
Name Census estimates that about 520,085 living Americans carry the surname King. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 659 residents.
How common is King?
King ranks #36 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 151.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 152 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 453,539 people with the surname King. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (520,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 151.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 151.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 152 of them to have the surname King.
Has King become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname King went from 465,422 recorded bearers to 453,539. That is a decrease of 11,883 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #34 to #36.
What does the Census say about the background of King?
Among Census respondents with the surname King, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 King in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.5% (306,247 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
King appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.5%), Black (22.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 King (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 King mean?
A surname of English origin referring to a tribal leader or head of a clan. 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 King (151.74 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 King?
If you just want to know how common the surname King is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.