How common is the surname Kilmer?

5,799 people in the United States had the surname Kilmer in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 53,241 Americans. It ranked 5,938th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Kilmer?

In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named Kilmer identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named Kilmer?

Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025), followed by Jack Kilmer.

Where is the surname Kilmer most common?

Wikidata records people named Kilmer in the United States.

How do you pronounce Kilmer?

Kilmer is /ˈkɪlmɚ/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Kilmer getting more or less common?

More common. 5,229 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 5,799 in 2010, up 11%.

The surname Kilmer

A surname, carried by 5,799 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈkɪlmɚ/ 2 syllables Soundex K456

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Kilmer is more common than 96.3% of them.

Origin

A surname.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 5,799 people named Kilmer in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 53,241 Americans. That is up 11% since 2000, when the Census counted 5,229.

#5,938

rank among US surnames

5,799

people in 2010

2.0

per 100,000 Americans

+10.9%

change since 2000 (was #6,051)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#5,934	Elston	5,803	53,204
#5,935	Loeffler	5,801	53,223
#5,936	Prendergast	5,800	53,232
#5,938	Kilmer	5,799	53,241

Who is named Kilmer

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

94% of people named Kilmer identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.9% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 94%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 1.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Kilmers

4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Val Kilmer
American actor (1959–2025)
Jack Kilmer
American actor, born 1995
Joyce Kilmer
American poet, editor, literary critic, soldier (1886–1918)
Derek Kilmer
American politician, born 1974

Questions

How common is the surname Kilmer?: 5,799 people in the United States had the surname Kilmer in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 53,241 Americans. It ranked 5,938th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Kilmer?: In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named Kilmer identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named Kilmer?: Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025), followed by Jack Kilmer.
Where is the surname Kilmer most common?: Wikidata records people named Kilmer in the United States.
How do you pronounce Kilmer?: Kilmer is /ˈkɪlmɚ/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Kilmer getting more or less common?: More common. 5,229 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 5,799 in 2010, up 11%.