Keeper
One who guards, protects, or has responsibility over something.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Keeper. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Keeper today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keeper births was 2021 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keeper. 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 Keeper. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2021
5 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,138
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Keeper: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Keeper 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 Keeper 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Keeper
The name Keeper has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the 5th to 12th centuries. It is derived from the word "cepan," which means "to keep" or "to guard." This name was often given to individuals whose occupation involved guarding or protecting something valuable, such as a castle, a fortress, or a prison.
In medieval times, the title "Keeper" was used to refer to various positions of authority and responsibility. For instance, the Keeper of the Great Seal was an important officer in the English royal court who was responsible for the custody and use of the monarch's seal. Similarly, the Keeper of the Privy Purse was the official in charge of the sovereign's private finances.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Keeper can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of lands and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Kepper" and is listed as a surname, indicating that it was already in use as a descriptive term for someone's occupation or role.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the first name Keeper. For example, Keeper Trapper (1804-1887) was a famous American mountain man and fur trapper who lived and worked in the Rocky Mountains during the early 19th century.
Another well-known figure was Keeper L. Wilson (1885-1959), an American businessman and politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arizona from 1951 to 1955.
In the realm of literature, Keeper Sibbett (1879-1965) was an American writer and educator who authored several books on the history and culture of the Native American tribes.
Keeper H. Frye (1924-2002) was a prominent American civil rights activist and lawyer who played a significant role in the desegregation of public schools in the United States.
Lastly, Keeper Ventress (1892-1972) was a British artist and illustrator known for his work in children's books and magazines during the early to mid-20th century.
These examples demonstrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who carried the name Keeper throughout history, reflecting its enduring legacy as a name associated with guardianship, responsibility, and stewardship.
People
Keeper + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keeper 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
Keeper: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keeper?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keeper 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 Keeper a common name?
We classify Keeper 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 Keeper most popular?
The single biggest year for Keeper was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keeper 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 Keeper in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keeper a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keeper 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 Keeper still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keeper 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 Keeper 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 named Keeper?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.