Keem
A masculine Arabic name meaning "valuable" or "precious".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Keem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Keem today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keem births was 2021 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keem. 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 Keem. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2021
7 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#10,277
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Keem: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Keem 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 Keem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Keem
The name Keem is an ancient one, with its origins traced back to the Celtic languages of Western Europe. In the Gaulish language, which was spoken in parts of modern-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland, the word "kem" meant "crooked" or "bent." This root word likely gave rise to the name Keem, which may have initially been used to describe someone with a physical characteristic or perhaps even a personality trait.
The earliest known reference to the name Keem can be found in the Ogam inscriptions, which were an ancient Celtic alphabet used for written communication in Ireland and parts of Great Britain. These inscriptions, dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries AD, contain several instances of the name Keem being used, suggesting its widespread use among the Celtic populations of the time.
One notable figure from history who bore the name Keem was Saint Keem, an Irish monk who lived in the 6th century AD. He is said to have founded a monastery on the island of Inishkeem off the coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The island still bears his name, a testament to his enduring legacy in the region.
In the 9th century, a Frankish scholar named Keem of Auxerre made significant contributions to the preservation of ancient Greek and Latin texts. His efforts helped ensure the survival of many classical works that might have otherwise been lost to history.
During the Middle Ages, the name Keem appeared in various records across Europe, often spelled in slightly different ways, such as Keeme, Kieme, or Keyme. One notable bearer of the name was Keem de Montfort, a French knight who fought in the Crusades in the 12th century.
In more recent history, the name Keem has been less common, but there have been a few notable individuals who carried it. Keem Mukerji, an Indian-American actor and director, was born in 1897 and had a successful career in Hollywood during the early 20th century.
While the name Keem may not be as widely used today as it once was, its rich history and Celtic roots make it a fascinating example of how names can evolve and carry cultural significance across generations.
People
Keem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keem 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
Keem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keem 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Keem a common name?
We classify Keem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keem most popular?
The single biggest year for Keem was 2021, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keem is about 5 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 Keem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keem 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 Keem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keem 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 Keem 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 have the name Keem?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.