Explore the Family Name Kentish

The meaning of Kentish

English (southeastern): habitational name from Middle English Kanteis, Kenteis ‘Kentish’ (Old French Kanteis, Kenteis, influenced by Old English Centisc).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Kentish in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Kentish saw a rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Ranked at 100,194 in 2000, it moved up to 90,113 in 2010, marking a change of 10.06 percent. The count of individuals bearing this surname also increased from 167 to 205 during this decade, showing a growth of 22.75 percent. The proportion per 100,000 people with the surname Kentish increased by 16.67 percent, rising from 0.06 to 0.07.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#100,194	#90,113	10.06%
Count	167	205	22.75%
Proportion per 100k	0.06	0.07	16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kentish

The data from the Decennial U.S. Census also provides insights into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Kentish. In 2000, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as Black (56.29 percent), followed by White (21.56 percent) and Hispanic (16.77 percent). By 2010, the percentage identifying as Black increased by 11.80 percent to 62.93 percent. The percentage identifying as Hispanic also rose to 19.51 percent, a change of 16.34 percent. However, the proportion identifying as White decreased by 25.32 percent to 16.10 percent. There were no individuals who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year, and the percentage of those identifying with two or more races dropped to zero in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	56.29%	62.93%	11.8%
Hispanic	16.77%	19.51%	16.34%
White	21.56%	16.1%	-25.32%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	5.39%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%