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Kemp Family History

Kemp Name Meaning

English Scottish Dutch and North German: status name for a champion Middle English and Middle Low German kempe. In the Middle Ages a champion was a professional fighter on behalf of others; for example the King's Champion at the coronation had the duty of issuing a general challenge to battle to anyone who denied the king's right to the throne. The Middle English word corresponds to Old English cempa and Old Norse kempa ‘warrior’; both these go back to ancient Germanic campo ‘warrior’ which is the source of the Dutch and North German name corresponding to High German Kampf . Dutch and North German (North Rhine-Westphalia): from the personal name Kempe Kampe; see 1 above. Dutch and Flemish: metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or processed hemp from Middle Dutch canep ‘hemp’. Dutch (Van der Kemp): Brabantine variant of Van der Kamp a topographic name from Middle Dutch kamp ‘enclosed fenced or hedged piece of land field’ (from Latin campus ‘plain’).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Kamp, Keep, Komp, Kempe, Kump, Kelp, Klemp, Lemp, Kemper, Keil

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Where is the Kemp family from?

You can see how Kemp families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kemp family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Kemp families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 677 Kemp families living in Ontario. This was about 60% of all the recorded Kemp's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Kemp families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kemp surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Kemp ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Kemp. 33% of Kemp men worked as a Farmer and 12% of Kemp women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Kemp were Clerk and Nurse. .

View Census Data for Kemp | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    33%
  • Labourer
    8%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Clerk
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    12%
  • Clerk
    8%
  • Student
    8%
  • Nurse
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Kemp family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 553,000 census records available for the last name Kemp. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kemp census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Kemp

Passenger Lists

There are 51,000 immigration records available for the last name Kemp. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 59,000 military records available for the last name Kemp. For the veterans among your Kemp ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Kemp lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Kemp life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Kemp in 1940 was 22, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Kemp

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Kemp family tree

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