The Kearns surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 15,136 people carried this name — #2,394 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 19,500 people counted. That is up 6% from 14,234 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Kearns surname

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Céirín, a personal name derived from a diminutive of ciar (“dark”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kearns» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 87 births for the Kearns name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 3,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 16 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin and Mayo.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 35
Connacht 26
Ulster 16
Munster 10

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Kearns was recorded 13 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1564th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Kearns in American newspapers,
1905–1923.

Newspaper page from The Coeur D'Alene Press carrying the name Kearns
The Coeur D'Alene Press 1905-11-25
Newspaper page from Bisbee Daily Review carrying the name Kearns
Bisbee Daily Review 1911-11-05
Newspaper page from Richmond Planet carrying the name Kearns
Richmond Planet 1923-02-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 104,801 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Kearns in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2000s.

17,165 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kearns. The most, 3,839, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 10,431
Victoria 2,339
South Australia 1,776
Queensland 1,293
Western Australia 755
Tasmania 430
ACT (Canberra) 117
Northern Territory 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kearns.

Who carried it

People named Kearns,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Joseph Kearns
    Thomas Joseph Kearns 1861–1920
  • Thomas Kearns
    Thomas Kearns 1862–1918 · businessperson
  • Charles Cyrus Kearns
    Charles Cyrus Kearns 1869–1931 · lawyer
  • Edna Buckman Kearns
    Edna Buckman Kearns 1882–1934 · peace activist
  • Linda Kearns MacWhinney
    Linda Kearns MacWhinney 1888–1951 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Edna Buckman Kearns: Marguerite Kearns, CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 113 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kearns,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,525 records

3,525 records of the Kearns name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,211
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 762
  • Other U.S. records 1,552
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John A. Kearns

    Born 1908 in Irish Free State. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island, New York; railroad conductor. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1975, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Brendan John Kearns

    Born 1948; from Bernardsville, New Jersey. U.S. Air Force; died in an accident 1967 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Winifred Kearns

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 22; servant. From Dundalk, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 3,525 records for Kearns in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia485 records

485 records of the Kearns name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 202
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 81
  • Other Australian records 202
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Winefred Kearns

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Clare. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record David J. Kearns

    Arrived in Queensland in 1955 aboard the Oronsay, aged 44.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James P. Kearns

    Process worker of Richmond, Victoria; died 1951.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 485 records for Kearns in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada124 records

124 records of the Kearns name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 75
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 19
  • Other Canadian records 30
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Florence A. Kearns

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 24; buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Kearns

    Came to Ontario in 1880 aboard the Winnipeg, landing at Quebec, bound for Oshawa, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Marjorie Kearns

    Buried in 1982 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 63.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 124 records for Kearns in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

New Zealand34 records

34 records of the Kearns name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 29
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Kearns

    Died 1912, aged 75; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Kearns

    Buried in 1872 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 27.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry John Thomas Kearns

    Died 1939, aged 65; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 34 records for Kearns in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom16 records

16 records of the Kearns name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 10
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Kearns

    Buried in 1847 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 40.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. Kearns

    East Lancashire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Kearns

    Buried in 1853 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 57.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 16 records for Kearns in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland14 records

14 records of the Kearns name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Kearns

    Died 1934, aged 62; buried at Templetogher, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Kearns

    Died 2000, aged 97; buried at Abbeygormican, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Kearns

    Died 1970, aged 55; buried at Cortoon, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Kearns in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Kearns name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record James Edward Kearns

    Married in 1945 in Eindhoven.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Catherine Kearns

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1891 in Slige Island.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France1 record

1 record of the Kearns name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record George Bernard Kearns

    Born 1923 in Ireland; died 1999 in Clamecy (Nièvre).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kearns.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kearns is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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