NameCensus.

UK surname

Kearns

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Ceirin," meaning "descendant of Ceirin," a personal name of uncertain meaning.

In the 1881 census there were 926 people recorded with the Kearns surname, ranking it #4,149 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,562, ranked #1,906, up from #4,149 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wigan and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Greenock West and Central, Liverpool and Knowsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kearns is 3,683 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 284.7%.

1881 census count

926

Ranked #4,149

Modern count

3,562

2016, ranked #1,906

Peak year

2010

3,683 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kearns had 926 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,149 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,562 in 2016, ranked #1,906.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,170 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Kearns surname distribution map

The map shows where the Kearns surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Kearns surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kearns over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 324 #7,179
1861 historical 418 #6,146
1881 historical 926 #4,149
1891 historical 805 #5,005
1901 historical 1,140 #4,260
1911 historical 1,170 #3,992
1997 modern 3,182 #2,020
1998 modern 3,338 #2,004
1999 modern 3,394 #1,995
2000 modern 3,430 #1,970
2001 modern 3,374 #1,958
2002 modern 3,479 #1,947
2003 modern 3,416 #1,939
2004 modern 3,413 #1,936
2005 modern 3,347 #1,950
2006 modern 3,369 #1,934
2007 modern 3,449 #1,905
2008 modern 3,521 #1,886
2009 modern 3,594 #1,898
2010 modern 3,683 #1,889
2011 modern 3,632 #1,891
2012 modern 3,515 #1,915
2013 modern 3,569 #1,921
2014 modern 3,598 #1,914
2015 modern 3,579 #1,905
2016 modern 3,562 #1,906

Geography

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Where Kearns' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Wigan, Manchester and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Greenock West and Central, Liverpool, Knowsley and St. Helens. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Wigan Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Greenock West and Central Inverclyde
2 Liverpool 019 Liverpool
3 Knowsley 003 Knowsley
4 St. Helens 004 St. Helens
5 Knowsley 002 Knowsley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kearns

These lists show first names that appear often with the Kearns surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kearns

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kearns, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Kearns surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Kearns household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Kearns is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kearns is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kearns falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kearns is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Kearns, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kearns

The surname Kearns originates from Ireland and dates back to the early medieval period. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Ciaráin, meaning "descendant of Ciarán." Ciarán was a popular Irish name derived from the word "ciar," meaning "dusky" or "dark-featured."

The earliest known record of the name Kearns appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention several individuals bearing the name Ó Ciaráin, including Muircheartach Ó Ciaráin, a notable Irish chieftain who lived in the 12th century.

In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, many Irish surnames underwent anglicization. The Gaelic Ó Ciaráin became Kearns, Kearns, and Kerns, among other variations. The name was particularly prevalent in County Mayo and County Sligo in the west of Ireland.

One notable figure with the surname Kearns was Philip Kearns (c. 1619-1695), an Irish Catholic priest who served as the Archbishop of Cashel from 1670 until his death. He played a significant role in preserving the Catholic faith during the Penal Laws in Ireland.

Another historical figure was John Kearns (1809-1886), an Irish-American businessman and politician. He served as the 40th Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1857 to 1858.

Bridget Kearns (1820-1888), an Irish-American immigrant, is known for her involvement in the labor movement and her advocacy for workers' rights. She played a pivotal role in the organization of the 1836 strike by female textile workers in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Sir Jonathan Kearns (1886-1967) was a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of Malta from 1954 to 1957.

In the United States, the name Kearns is often associated with the mining town of Kearns, Utah, which was founded in 1892 and named after Thomas Kearns (1862-1918), a successful mining engineer and industrialist.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kearns families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kearns surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 478 Kearns' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.42x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 478 4.42x
Middlesex 86 0.94x
Cheshire 53 2.64x
Staffordshire 45 1.46x
Yorkshire 43 0.48x
Hampshire 32 1.71x
Surrey 32 0.72x
Essex 28 1.56x
Kent 18 0.58x
Cumberland 17 2.17x
Angus 14 1.66x
Lanarkshire 12 0.41x
Northumberland 8 0.59x
Durham 7 0.26x
Lincolnshire 7 0.48x
Flintshire 6 2.45x
Glamorgan 6 0.38x
Royal Navy 5 4.61x
Devon 4 0.21x
Hertfordshire 4 0.64x
Leicestershire 4 0.40x
Sussex 4 0.26x
Derbyshire 3 0.21x
Dunbartonshire 3 1.23x
Shropshire 3 0.38x
Warwickshire 3 0.13x
Dorset 2 0.33x
Isle of Man 2 1.18x
Argyllshire 1 0.39x
Ayrshire 1 0.15x
Fife 1 0.19x
Herefordshire 1 0.27x
Renfrewshire 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 172 Kearns' recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.20x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 172 26.20x
Manchester 34 6.99x
Everton 22 6.38x
Bootle Cum Linacre 21 24.46x
West Derby 20 6.32x
Wigan 18 11.91x
Leeds 17 3.33x
Chester St John Baptist 14 38.73x
Eccleston In Prescot 14 25.80x
Portsea 14 3.83x
Arlecdon 13 62.32x
Chorlton On Medlock 13 7.57x
Accrington 12 12.21x
Hulme 12 5.32x
Stoke Upon Trent 12 3.68x
Aldershot 11 17.58x
Kirkdale 10 5.50x
St Marylebone London 10 2.06x
Widnes 10 12.82x
Hammerwich 9 205.95x
Newchurch 9 10.18x
Skelmersdale 9 49.94x
Bradford 8 3.66x
Farnworth 8 12.35x
Habergham Eaves 8 8.10x
Lancaster 8 12.44x
Liff Benvie 8 6.24x
Stockport 8 7.73x
West Ham 8 2.01x
Birkdale 7 25.59x
Bury 7 5.67x
Fulham London 7 5.30x
Limehouse London 7 7.00x
Mile End Old Town London 7 3.61x
St Luke London 7 4.79x
Wimbledon 7 14.04x
Clerkenwell London 6 2.79x
Colchester St Peter 6 83.45x
Croydon 6 2.43x
Glasgow 6 1.15x
Lambeth 6 0.76x
Macclesfield 6 6.71x
Occlestone 6 1935.48x
Prescot 6 30.69x
Scawby 6 124.48x
Westgate 6 7.15x
Whitford 6 47.28x
Enfield 5 8.36x
Fulwood 5 42.81x
Great Bolton 5 3.49x
Keighley 5 5.20x
Lichfield St Chad 5 72.25x
Oldham 5 1.43x
Portsmouth 5 11.63x
Salford 5 1.57x
Theydon Bois 5 183.15x
Woolwich 5 4.35x
Alton 4 120.85x
Broxbourne 4 32.13x
Cardiff St Mary 4 4.58x
Darlaston 4 9.41x
Dundee 4 1.27x
Gorton 4 3.94x
Horton In Bradford 4 2.84x
Ogley Hay 4 62.70x
Royal Navy 4 4.31x
Stafford St Mary 4 9.19x
Upton By Birkenhead 4 206.19x
Westminster St Margaret 4 9.10x
Whitwick 4 31.15x
Windle 4 6.58x
Bishopwearmouth 3 1.29x
Blackburn 3 1.04x
East Ham 3 8.99x
Little Bolton 3 2.16x
Lower Darwen 3 21.14x
Old Kilpatrick 3 10.37x
Sowerby In Thirsk 3 55.15x
St George In East London 3 3.50x
Tranmere 3 4.06x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Kearns surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 90
Elizabeth 33
Catherine 25
Ann 22
Bridget 22
Margaret 22
Ellen 20
Annie 19
Jane 17
Sarah 15
Alice 11
Eliza 10
Kate 10
Anne 7
Fanny 6
Martha 6
Louisa 5
Maria 5
Agnes 4
Edith 4
Emma 4
Florence 4
Hannah 4
Emily 3
Margret 3
Margt. 3
Teresa 3
Ada 2
Christiana 2
Elizth. 2
Esther 2
Gertrude 2
Harriet 2
Isabella 2
Julia 2
Lizzie 2
Maggie 2
Margraet 2
Norah 2
Rosanna 2
Winifred 2
Adelaide 1
Amelia 1
Bertha 1
Caroline 1
Catharine 1
Elley 1
Emmeline 1
Janie 1
Jessie 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Kearns surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 70
Thomas 41
James 39
William 32
Patrick 29
Michael 26
Edward 17
George 15
Joseph 15
Henry 10
Peter 8
Francis 6
Charles 5
Edwd. 5
Martin 5
Richard 5
Robert 5
Thos. 5
Christopher 4
Daniel 4
Owen 4
Samuel 4
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Denis 3
Frank 3
Hugh 3
Philip 3
Stephen 3
Timothy 3
Wm. 3
Albert 2
Anthony 2
Edwin 2
Frederick 2
Jno. 2
Matthew 2
Walter 2
Bernard 1
Cormack 1
David 1
Dean 1
Harold 1
Howard 1
Infant 1
Jack 1
Michail 1
Micheal 1
Michl. 1
Wm.Patrick 1

FAQ

Kearns surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kearns surname in 1881?

In 1881, 926 people were recorded with the Kearns surname. That placed it at #4,149 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kearns surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,562 in 2016. That gives Kearns a modern rank of #1,906.

What does the Kearns surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Ceirin," meaning "descendant of Ceirin," a personal name of uncertain meaning.

What does the Kearns map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Kearns bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.