Keino
Unconventional name of uncertain meaning, likely related to the Finnish word for "rye".
Name Census estimates that about 84 living Americans carry the first name Keino. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Keino today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keino births was 1972 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keino. 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 Keino. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
84
~ 1 in 4,080,409 Americans
Peak year
1972
19 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2008 SSA rank
#13,624
Tracked since 1972
Census
Keino in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 212 people with the first name Keino, which placed it at #37,053 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#37,053
National first-name rank
People counted
212
212 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
86.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keino
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Keino is Black at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Keino described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Keino at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.8% · 184
- Two or more races7.1% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 4
- White1.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Keino: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keino from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 56 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Keino remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keino 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 Keino during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Keinos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Keino
The name Keino is a unique and intriguing given name with roots in the Finnish language. Its origins can be traced back to the early 20th century, when it first emerged as a variation of the more common Finnish name Keijo. The name Keijo itself is derived from the Old Norse name Ketill, which means "cauldron" or "kettle."
In the Finnish context, the name Keino is believed to have been inspired by the Finnish word "keino," which translates to "means" or "method." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with resourcefulness, ingenuity, or the ability to find solutions. However, there is no definitive historical record that explicitly explains the reasoning behind the creation of this name variation.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Keino can be found in the Finnish author and playwright Hella Wuolijoki's novel "Niskavuori" from 1936. In the novel, a character named Keino Niskavuori plays a central role, which likely contributed to the popularization of the name in Finland during that era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Keino. One of the most famous is Keino Laine (1926-2009), a Finnish long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the 10,000 meters event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. His athletic achievements and international recognition played a significant role in popularizing the name beyond Finland's borders.
Another prominent figure with the name Keino is Keino Porri (born 1983), a Finnish ice hockey player who has represented Finland in various international competitions, including the Winter Olympics and the World Championships. His athletic career has further solidified the name's presence in the Finnish cultural landscape.
Outside of Finland, the name Keino has also found its way into other cultures and contexts. For instance, Keino Kasuya (born 1976) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who has competed in various promotions around the world. While the origins of his given name remain unclear, his accomplishments have contributed to the global recognition of the name.
It's worth noting that the name Keino has also been used as a surname, although this usage is less common than its role as a given name. Examples include the American artist and filmmaker Keino Robinson and the American football player Keino Benjamin.
Overall, the name Keino carries a unique and intriguing history, with its roots firmly planted in the Finnish language and culture. Its association with resourcefulness, ingenuity, and athletic excellence has contributed to its enduring appeal and recognition across various cultural contexts.
People
Keino + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keino 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
Keino: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keino?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 84 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keino 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 4,080,409 US residents.
Is Keino a common name?
We classify Keino as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 89 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keino most popular?
The single biggest year for Keino was 1972, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keino is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Keino in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 212 people with the name Keino, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,053 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Keino in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Keino?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Keino appears almost entirely male. Of the 205 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Keino?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Keino is Black at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Keino most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Keino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (184 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Keino in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keino a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keino 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 Keino still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keino 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 Keino 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.
How many people have Keino as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.