2000
#13,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Kitt
Derived from the Middle English word "kitte," referring to a wooden tub or vat used for brewing or washing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,401 Americans carry the last name Kitt. That puts it at #13,822 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,755 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kitt 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 Kitt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,755
Census rank
#13,822
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,094 bearers of the surname Kitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13822nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kitt
The surname Kitt is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Kitt," which means "putty" or "cement." This suggests that the name may have been given to an individual who worked as a mason or a builder.
In the 13th century, a record from the town of Nuremberg mentions a "Johannes Kitt," indicating that the name was already in use during that time period. It is possible that the name also has roots in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch or Scandinavian.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kitt can be found in the Berne Chronicle, a medieval manuscript from Switzerland. The chronicle mentions a "Konrad Kitt" who lived in the city of Berne in the late 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Kitt appeared in various historical documents across Germany and neighboring regions. For example, in 1587, a "Hans Kitt" was recorded as a resident of the town of Rottweil in present-day Baden-Württemberg.
One notable individual with the surname Kitt was Johann Baptist Kitt (1736-1808), a German Catholic theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Würzburg. Another was Friedrich Kitt (1858-1936), a German veterinarian and professor who made significant contributions to the field of veterinary pathology.
In the 19th century, the name Kitt was also found in other parts of Europe, such as Austria and Switzerland. For instance, a "Josef Kitt" was born in the village of Bregenz, Austria, in 1823.
The name Kitt has also been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Kittendorf (literally meaning "Kitt's village") and Kittlitz (possibly derived from a combination of "Kitt" and the Sorbian word for "small").
While the surname Kitt is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a long and interesting history that can be traced back to medieval times. Notable individuals with this surname have made contributions in various fields, from theology and philosophy to veterinary medicine.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kitt 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 Kitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.7% · 1,041
- Black or African American39.4% · 825
- Two or more races5.0% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kitt
Kitt 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
#10,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,900
+772 bearers (+36.3%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 2,201 places
2020
#13,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,094
-806 bearers (-27.8%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 2,854 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,169 | 2,128 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,968 | 2,900 | 0.98 | +772 bearers (+36.3%) | Up 2,201 places |
| 2020 | #13,822 | 2,094 | 0.70 | -806 bearers (-27.8%) | Down 2,854 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 Kitt 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 | #10,968 | #13,822 | -26.0% |
| Count | 2,900 | 2,094 | -27.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.70 | -28.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kitt bearers went from 2,900 to 2,094 (-27.8% change). The surname moved down 2,854 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,968 to #13,822.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kitt
FAQ
Kitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kitt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,401 living Americans carry the surname Kitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,755 residents.
How common is Kitt?
Kitt ranks #13,822 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,094 people with the surname Kitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Kitt.
Has Kitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kitt went from 2,900 recorded bearers to 2,094. That is a decrease of 806 (-27.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,968 to #13,822.
What does the Census say about the background of Kitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Kitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.7% (1,041 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.7%), Black (39.4%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Kitt (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 Kitt mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "kitte," referring to a wooden tub or vat used for brewing or washing. 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 Kitt (0.70 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 Americans have the surname Kitt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.