Find out how popular the first name Keaton has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Keaton by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Keaton is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 94% of people named Keaton being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 268 male babies and 31 female babies born with the name Keaton.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 31 baby girls were named Keaton in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Keaton

The name Keaton is an English surname that has been adopted as a given name. It is derived from the Old English words "kete" and "tun," which together mean "farmstead where they make keats or coarse cloth." The name first appeared in the late 12th century as a surname in Yorkshire, England.

The earliest known bearer of the name Keaton was a landowner in Yorkshire named Richard de Keton, recorded in 1208. In the 13th century, the name was also found in Cheshire and Staffordshire, suggesting it may have originated from multiple places.

One of the earliest notable people with the name Keaton was Sir John Keeton (or Keaton), a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was knighted by Edward III in 1346 for his service at the Battle of Crécy.

In the 16th century, the name appears in religious records, such as the baptism of Thomas Keaton in 1569 in Swinton, Lancashire. During this time, variations like Keeton, Keton, and Keyton were also used.

The name gained wider recognition in the 20th century with the fame of the American actor and filmmaker Buster Keaton (1895-1966). Born Joseph Frank Keaton, he was a pioneer of physical comedy and starred in many silent films.

Other notable people with the first name Keaton include Keaton Simons (born 1977), an American artist and filmmaker; Keaton Ellerby (born 1989), a Canadian professional ice hockey player; and Keaton Jennings (born 1992), an English cricketer.

One of the earliest fictional characters with the name was Keaton, a character in the 1936 novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. The name has since been used for various fictional characters in films, TV shows, and literature.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Keaton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Keaton, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!