The Kent surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 44,325 people carried this name — #778 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,650 people counted. That is up 4% from 42,597 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Kent surname

A surname from Old English derived from the place name.

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

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Kent’.

An early record he cites: Robert de Kent, Norfolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 445 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 13 births for the Kent name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cork.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 9
Leinster 4

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

In Argentina’s national register

At least 152 people named Kent live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 76
Chubut 45
City of Buenos Aires 31

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

42 people named Kent live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 9
Zurich 9
Basel-Landschaft 8
Aargau 5
Bern 4
Geneva 4
Jura 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 38 people named Kent.

Most of them — 27 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 8 départements, most often Alpes-Maritimes.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 27
Alpes-Maritimes 3
Rhône 2
Loire-Atlantique 1
Oise 1
Pas-de-Calais 1
Paris 1
Essonne 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

120 people named Kent are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 91
Finland (2026) 29

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Kent was found among the farmers of 8 counties.

It was most frequent in Hampshire: 30 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 333. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Hampshire 30
Cambridgeshire 29
Dorset 25
Cornwall 22
Staffordshire 20
Berkshire 12
Shropshire 12
Lincolnshire 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Kent was recorded 17 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1299th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 24. 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 the first U.S. census, 1790

180 families named Kent, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,023 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 53
Virginia 27
Connecticut 23
Vermont 14
Maine 13
North Carolina 12
New Hampshire 10
New York 10
Rhode Island 6
Maryland 6
Pennsylvania 5
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 248 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Kent in American newspapers,
1874–1902.

Newspaper page from The Mirror And Farmer carrying the name Kent
The Mirror And Farmer 1902-11-20
Newspaper page from The People carrying the name Kent
The People 1874-07-02
Newspaper page from The New Hampshire Gazette carrying the name Kent
The New Hampshire Gazette 1874-07-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 19,056 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Kent in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2000s.

149,593 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kent. The most, 27,902, 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 Queensland, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 46,556
Victoria 37,102
New South Wales 31,968
South Australia 13,425
Western Australia 11,233
Tasmania 6,916
ACT (Canberra) 1,946
Northern Territory 182

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

Who carried it

People named Kent,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Emily Celia Kent
    Emily Celia Kent d. 1952 · charity worker
  • Helen Stuart Kent
    Helen Stuart Kent d. 1940 · charity worker
  • Ada Henrietta Kent
    Ada Henrietta Kent d. 1949 · social worker
  • Thomas Kent d. 1489 · astronomer
  • Marion Kent d. 1500 · businessperson
  • Thomas Kent d. 1832 · merchant

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kent,
in the records of 9 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 States4,865 records

4,865 records of the Kent name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,463
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,179
  • Other U.S. records 2,223
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Dean R. Kent

    Born 1925 in New York. Enlisted 1945 at Buffalo; farmer from Cattaraugus County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Green Cemetery, Great Valley, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Elbert Kent

    Born 1914 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Bragg; farm hand from Wilson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Rocky Branch Cemetery, Kenly, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Gordon D. Kent

    Born 1902 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sam Houston; kitchen worker from Kerr County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1975, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 4,865 records for Kent in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · 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).

Australia2,729 records

2,729 records of the Kent name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,132
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 526
  • Other Australian records 1,071
  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 Ellen Kent

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Blackfriar, sailing from Kingston in 1851. Native of Cork. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852. Married 1852 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 Joseph Kent

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Forfarshire, sailing from Spithead in 1843. Native of Foleshill, Warwickshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1856. Married 1856 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 32.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 Peter Wellington Kent

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the David Lyon, sailing from London in 1830. Native of Glasgow, Lanarkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,729 records for Kent in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · 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) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). 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).

Canada737 records

737 records of the Kent name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 582
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 35
  • Other Canadian records 120
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record George Kent

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Grand Duchess of Russia, bound for St. Johns, aged 30.

    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 Wm Kent

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Stayner, 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 Roderick Kent

    Buried in 1982 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 71.

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

Showing 3 of 737 records for Kent in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom132 records

132 records of the Kent name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 86
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 44
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Kent

    Buried in 1801 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 66.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Robert Blake Kent

    Will proved in 1917; of LLanfairfechan, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. Kent

    Sapper, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 132 records for Kent 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. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands84 records

84 records of the Kent name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 35
  • Dutch population registers 26
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 23
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Louisa Itje Kent

    Married in 1837 in Bergen op Zoom; born in Harderwijk. Died 1844 in Bergen op Zoom.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Theodorus Kent

    Married in 1821 in Utrecht. Died 1868 in Utrecht, aged 71.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Kent

    Born 1834 in Franeker. Married in 1860 in Baarderadeel. Died 1861 in Sneek, aged 26.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 84 records for Kent in the Netherlands.

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).

New Zealand66 records

66 records of the Kent name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 53
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 8
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Albert Ernest Kent

    Died 1935, aged 62; buried at Bromley 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 William Kent

    Buried in 1894 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 74.

    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 Winifred Emma Kent

    Died 1985, aged 78; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 66 records for Kent in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France10 records

10 records of the Kent 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 Aldo Henri Joseph Kent

    Born 1912 in Italy; died 2001 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Andrea Kent

    Born 1902 in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique); died 1996 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 10 records for Kent in France.

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).

Norway8 records

8 records of the Kent name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Charles Kent

    Census of 1910: Mo nedre, nr, Mo; "redaktør", born 1879 in Christiania.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Ingeborg Kent

    Census of 1910: Fredriksro (gaard), Aker; born 1896 in Kristiania.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Kent in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Kent name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Ullrich Kent

    From St. Ulrich, Staufen. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 15 February 1919 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 111).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kent.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kent 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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