# Kettle (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/kettle/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 2,092 |
| US rank (2010) | 14,307 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 147,584 people |
| Change since 2000 | +42% (1,469 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Kettell |

## Etymology

The Scottish place-name was historically Cattell (1160). Probably from Scottish Gaelic cat (“cat”) or Pictish cat (“cat”) with a locational suffix.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Kettle in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 85% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 6.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 4.7% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Similar surnames

Kittle, Kittel, Keithley, Keathley, Kidwell, Kudla.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.