The Kidder surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,746 people carried this name — #5,179 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 43,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 6,589 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Kidder surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the kidder’.

An early record he cites: Johannes Kyder, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 449 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

66 families named Kidder, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 415 people lived in those households, 6.3 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 29
New Hampshire 23
Vermont 5
Connecticut 4
New York 2
Maine 1
Pennsylvania 1
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

Kidder in American newspapers,
1893–1917.

Newspaper page from Evening Capital And Maryland Gazette carrying the name Kidder
Evening Capital And Maryland Gazette 1917-08-24
Newspaper page from Reporter And Farmer carrying the name Kidder
Reporter And Farmer 1893-10-26
Newspaper page from Reporter And Farmer carrying the name Kidder
Reporter And Farmer 1894-07-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Kidder in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1960s.

983 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kidder. The most, 335, date from the 1910s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 5.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 356
New South Wales 331
Queensland 118
South Australia 59
Western Australia 54
ACT (Canberra) 26
Tasmania 15
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Kidder,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Richard Kidder
    Richard Kidder 1633–1703 · Anglican priest
  • Jefferson P. Kidder
    Jefferson P. Kidder 1815–1883 · judge
  • Edward Kidder 1665–1739 · chef
  • David Kidder 1787–1860 · lawyer
  • James Kidder 1793–1837 · painter
  • Frederic Kidder 1804–1885 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kidder,
in the records of 5 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 States600 records

600 records of the Kidder name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 246
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 123
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 105
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 46
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 36
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 34
  • Sacramento County historic burials 10
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Leonard L. Kidder

    Born 1920 in Oregon. Enlisted 1942 at Portland; office clerk from Multnomah County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1978, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Caroline W. Kidder

    Arrived at New York in 1877 aboard the Bothnia from Liverpool, aged 49; matron.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Roy Leslie Kidder

    U.S. Navy veteran of World War I. Born 1887, died 1955; buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 600 records for Kidder 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia14 records

14 records of the Kidder name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 9
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 5
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Emily Kidder

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Ocean Chief, aged 14; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Robert Geoffrey Kidder

    Salesman of Box Hill, Victoria; died 1968.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Kidder

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Fanny, aged 24; American.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Kidder in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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).

Canada6 records

6 records of the Kidder name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 4
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Milton Elroy Kidder

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lorenzo Kidder

    Married 1902 in Kings, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Kidder

    Married 1793 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 6 records for Kidder 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. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom4 records

4 records of the Kidder name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Kidder

    Buried in 1823 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 C. Kidder

    Gunner, Labour Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 2 of 4 records for Kidder in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · 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); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Kidder name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Arnoldus Anthonius Kidder

    Died 1958 in Nijkerk, aged 89; cattle farmer.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lambert Kidder

    Married in 1680 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Jan Kidder

    Baptised in 1664 in Arnhem.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Kidder in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kidder.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kidder 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.

See the Kidder volume
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