2000
#16,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,625
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Kinnear
A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Kinnear in Fife, likely meaning "head of the sea."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,760 Americans carry the last name Kinnear. That puts it at #17,942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 194,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinnear 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 Kinnear with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 194,747
Census rank
#17,942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,535 bearers of the surname Kinnear in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinnear, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinnear
The surname Kinnear has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "cionn" meaning "head" and "fhear" meaning "man," suggesting that it may have originally referred to a clan chief or leader.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various Scottish historical documents and manuscripts. One notable example is a charter from the reign of King William the Lion (1165-1214), which mentions a "Gillebride Kinnear" as a witness to a land grant.
In the 13th century, the Kinnears were a prominent family in the county of Fife, with several members holding positions of importance in the local government and church. The name is also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from this period, indicating that members of the family were involved in financial and administrative matters.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the Kinnear name was Sir John Kinnear (c. 1370-1456), a Scottish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England. He was rewarded for his service with lands in Fife and was appointed as the Sheriff of Kinross-shire.
Another prominent Kinnear was George Kinnear (1670-1738), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made his fortune in the West Indies trade. He donated a significant sum of money to establish the Kinnear Free School in Edinburgh, which provided education to underprivileged children.
In the 19th century, the Kinnears spread beyond Scotland, with members of the family settling in various parts of the British Empire. One such individual was Sir John George Kinnear (1801-1874), a British civil servant who served as the Chief Justice of Madras Presidency in India.
Other notable Kinnears include:
1. George Kinnear (1775-1830), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Bath.
2. Thomas Kinnear (1828-1895), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman who served as the Premier of South Australia from 1881 to 1884.
3. Boyd Kinnear (1832-1888), a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a key role in mapping the interior of Western Australia.
4. Alfred Kinnear (1882-1970), an English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club and the English national team in the early 20th century.
5. Euphemia Kinnear (1887-1977), a Scottish suffragette and campaigner for women's rights, who was imprisoned for her activism during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinnear
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinnear, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinnear 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 Kinnear surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,409
- Two or more races2.9% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 38
- Black or African American1.7% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinnear
Kinnear 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
#14,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,998
+373 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 1,492 places
2020
#17,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,535
-463 bearers (-23.2%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 3,108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,326 | 1,625 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,834 | 1,998 | 0.68 | +373 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 1,492 places |
| 2020 | #17,942 | 1,535 | 0.51 | -463 bearers (-23.2%) | Down 3,108 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 Kinnear 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 | #14,834 | #17,942 | -21.0% |
| Count | 1,998 | 1,535 | -23.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.51 | -24.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinnear bearers went from 1,998 to 1,535 (-23.2% change). The surname moved down 3,108 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,834 to #17,942.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kinnear
FAQ
Kinnear surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinnear?
Name Census estimates that about 1,760 living Americans carry the surname Kinnear. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 194,747 residents.
How common is Kinnear?
Kinnear ranks #17,942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.51 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 1,535 people with the surname Kinnear. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,760), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.51 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 Kinnear.
Has Kinnear become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinnear went from 1,998 recorded bearers to 1,535. That is a decrease of 463 (-23.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,834 to #17,942.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinnear?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinnear, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Kinnear in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,409 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinnear appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Kinnear (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 Kinnear mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Kinnear in Fife, likely meaning "head of the sea." 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 Kinnear (0.51 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 share the surname Kinnear?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.