Kelso
A Scottish locational surname from the town of Kelso in Roxburghshire.
The #4,096 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,607 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kelso is a habitational surname, taken from the town of Kelso in Roxburghshire, Scotland. Early writers connected the place-name with older forms such as Calchou and interpreted it as referring to a chalky hill or chalk outcrop. The surname therefore originally meant someone who came from or was associated with Kelso.
History
The name is recorded in medieval Scotland, with Hugh de Kelso noted in the Ragman Roll of 1296. Historical sources place the family in Ayrshire at an early period, showing that the surname spread beyond its original district fairly early. In later centuries Kelso remained a clearly Scottish place-name surname, and it is still best understood as geographic in origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Kelso is one of several Scottish surnames that preserve a specific place-name almost unchanged.
From the historical record
“parishes in co. Lincoln. KELSO. A town and parish in Rox- burghshire. The family were in Ayrshire at an early period. Hugh de Kelso is men- tioned in Ragman Roll, 1296. B.L.G. KELSON. The son of Kell, i.e. Charles. KEJMBALL. The same as Kemble. KEMBER. Identical with cither Kemper or Klmber.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom