Keb
A masculine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Hebrew meaning "to burn".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Keb. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Keb today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keb births was 2001 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keb. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Keb. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2001
5 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2001 SSA rank
#11,497
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Keb: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Keb by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Keb during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Keb
The name Keb is an ancient Egyptian name derived from the word "kebeh," which means "fresh vegetation" or "coolness." It originated in ancient Egypt during the pre-dynastic period, around 3100 BC. The name was associated with fertility and the annual flooding of the Nile River, which brought new life to the land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keb can be found in the Pyramid Texts, which were a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary inscriptions dating back to the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BC). In these texts, Keb was portrayed as the god of the earth, vegetation, and fertility.
The name Keb was also mentioned in the Coffin Texts, which were a collection of funerary spells and inscriptions written on coffins during the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BC). These texts referred to Keb as the father of the gods and the husband of the goddess Nut, who represented the sky.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Keb was one of the most important deities, often depicted as a man with a goose or a green skin color to represent his association with the earth and vegetation. He was considered the progenitor of all life and was revered for his role in the creation of the world.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Keb. One of the earliest recorded figures was Keb-Sekhem-Re, a high official during the reign of Pharaoh Pepi II (c. 2278–2184 BC) in the Old Kingdom.
Another prominent figure was Keb-Senu-Ef, a scribe and priest who lived during the 18th Dynasty (c. 1550–1292 BC) in the New Kingdom. He is known for his work in recording the events of the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III.
During the Late Period (664–332 BC), there was a prince named Keb-Hor, who served as the governor of Upper Egypt under the 26th Dynasty.
In the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BC), when Egypt was ruled by the Ptolemaic dynasty of Greek origin, there was a well-known philosopher and scholar named Keb-Ankh, who wrote extensively on Egyptian mythology and religion.
Finally, in the Roman Period (30 BC–640 AD), there was a prominent Egyptian physician named Keb-Hotep, who is credited with several medical treatises and advances in the field of medicine.
People
Keb + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keb as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Keb: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keb?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keb going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Keb a common name?
We classify Keb as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keb most popular?
The single biggest year for Keb was 2001, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keb is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Keb in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keb a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keb in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Keb still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keb in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Keb can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Keb?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.