NameCensus.

UK surname

Kerns

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ciaráin, meaning "descendant of Ciarán," a personal name derived from ciar, meaning "black."

In the 1881 census there were 126 people recorded with the Kerns surname, ranking it #17,245 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 93, ranked #31,945, down from #17,245 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Manchester, Portsmouth, Portsea and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Camden and Salford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kerns is 126 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 26.2%.

1881 census count

126

Ranked #17,245

Modern count

93

2016, ranked #31,945

Peak year

1881

126 bearers

Map years

3

1851 to 1891

Key insights

  • Kerns had 126 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,245 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016, ranked #31,945.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 126 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Kerns surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kerns surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kerns 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 103 #16,835
1861 historical 98 #21,388
1881 historical 126 #17,245
1891 historical 114 #22,006
1901 historical 99 #22,999
1911 historical 75 #25,322
1997 modern 78 #29,785
1998 modern 88 #29,131
1999 modern 91 #28,937
2000 modern 91 #28,952
2001 modern 78 #30,168
2002 modern 85 #29,867
2003 modern 70 #31,486
2004 modern 69 #31,784
2005 modern 62 #32,708
2006 modern 66 #32,629
2007 modern 68 #32,760
2008 modern 70 #32,856
2009 modern 73 #32,923
2010 modern 79 #32,759
2011 modern 78 #32,819
2012 modern 87 #32,180
2013 modern 95 #31,523
2014 modern 100 #31,033
2015 modern 93 #31,972
2016 modern 93 #31,945

Geography

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Where Kerns' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Manchester, Portsmouth, Portsea, Liverpool, Neston and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Camden, Salford, Wycombe and Woking. 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 Manchester Lancashire
2 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Neston Cheshire
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 010 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 Camden 025 Camden
3 Salford 013 Salford
4 Wycombe 012 Wycombe
5 Woking 002 Woking

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kerns

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kerns

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kerns, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Established Mature Families

Nationally, the Kerns surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Mature Families, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Kerns household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Kerns is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kerns 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

Kerns falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kerns is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Kerns

The surname Kerns is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'cyrnel', meaning a small grain or kernel. It was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked with grains or was a miller.

The earliest known record of the Kerns surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Cyrnell' in Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as 'Kernel' in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. The spelling variations during this period also included 'Kernell', 'Kernelle', and 'Karnell'.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Kerns surname was John Kernes, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Another early record is of William Kernes, mentioned in the Friary Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379.

The surname Kerns is also linked to several place names in England, such as Kernes Farm in Herefordshire and Kernes Bank in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English root word as the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Kerns throughout history include:

1. Sir Thomas Kernes (c. 1520 - 1594), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

2. John Kerns (1648 - 1725), an English Quaker leader and writer who was imprisoned several times for his religious beliefs.

3. William Kerns (1721 - 1805), an American Revolutionary War soldier and one of the earliest settlers in what is now West Virginia.

4. Katharine Kerns (1888 - 1972), an American writer and journalist known for her novels set in the American West.

5. Michael Kerns (1942 - 2015), an American actor and playwright who co-founded the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kerns families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kerns 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 51 Kerns' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.50x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 51 3.50x
Yorkshire 32 2.63x
Cheshire 15 5.53x
Shropshire 6 5.65x
Derbyshire 4 2.08x
Middlesex 4 0.33x
Devon 2 0.78x
Durham 2 0.55x
Essex 2 0.82x
Northamptonshire 2 1.73x
Warwickshire 2 0.65x
Dorset 1 1.24x
Roxburghshire 1 4.49x
West Lothian 1 5.40x
Worcestershire 1 0.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Manchester in Lancashire leads with 16 Kerns' recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.40x.

Place Total Index
Manchester 16 24.40x
Leeds 14 20.36x
Great Neston 7 777.78x
Hulme 7 22.99x
Pendleton In Salford 7 40.30x
Shrewsbury St Mary 6 143.20x
Chester St John Baptist 5 102.46x
Hunslet 5 26.33x
North Meols 5 35.01x
Matlock 4 155.04x
Blackburn 3 7.73x
Holy Trinity 3 10.24x
Ince In Makerfield 3 44.18x
Manningham 3 20.00x
Swinton In Rotherham 3 93.17x
Aston 2 2.34x
Broughton In Salford 2 15.00x
Cheetham 2 18.38x
East Ham 2 44.44x
Idle 2 35.40x
Macclesfield 2 16.58x
Northampton St Sepulchre 2 34.01x
Stoke Damerel 2 11.17x
Wigan 2 9.81x
Everton 1 2.15x
Hawick 1 20.08x
Horton In Bradford 1 5.26x
Kirkdale 1 4.08x
Little Meolse 1 256.41x
Newton 1 8.90x
Newton Upon Ouse 1 400.00x
Over Darwen 1 8.58x
Portland 1 23.04x
Shildon 1 34.01x
St Botolph Aldgate London 1 39.53x
St George Bloomsbury 1 14.18x
St Giles In Fields London 1 16.58x
St Marylebone London 1 1.52x
Uphall 1 49.02x
Whitton 1 344.83x
Yardley 1 24.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Annie 5
Ellen 5
Elizabeth 4
Margaret 4
Martha 4
Ann 3
Jane 3
Bridget 2
Emily 2
Margret 2
Sarah 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
B. 1
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Cecelia 1
Charlotte 1
Christopher 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliza 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Helena 1
Louesa 1
Maggy 1
Maria 1
Nelly 1
Ruth 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
James 7
William 6
Thomas 5
Michael 3
Alfred 2
Andrew 2
Daniel 2
Domnick 2
Edward 2
Joseph 2
Patrick 2
Anthony 1
Benjamin 1
Bryan 1
Charles 1
Edwin 1
Owen 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Kerns surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kerns surname in 1881?

In 1881, 126 people were recorded with the Kerns surname. That placed it at #17,245 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kerns surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016. That gives Kerns a modern rank of #31,945.

What does the Kerns surname mean?

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ciaráin, meaning "descendant of Ciarán," a personal name derived from ciar, meaning "black."

What does the Kerns map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Kerns 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.