Keither
Of obscure origins, potentially a name derived from a surname.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Keither. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Keither today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keither births was 1930 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keither. 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 Keither. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1930
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1930 SSA rank
#4,287
Tracked since 1930
Popularity
Keither: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Keither 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 Keither during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Keither
The name Keither is a variant of the more common name Keith, which has its origins in the northern regions of the British Isles. It is derived from the Gaelic words "caith" meaning "to descend" or "to wind" and "rìgh" meaning "king," suggesting a possible connection to royalty or nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keither can be found in the ancient Pictish Chronicle, where a figure named Keither mac Ferchar is mentioned as a ruler of the Kingdom of Fortriu in the 7th century AD. This historical reference provides evidence of the name's deep roots in Scottish and Pictish culture.
In the Middle Ages, the name Keither gained popularity among the noble families of Scotland and was occasionally mentioned in medieval manuscripts and records. One notable bearer of the name was Keither Douglas, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.
As the centuries passed, the name Keither continued to be used, albeit infrequently, within Scottish and British circles. In the 16th century, a Keither Campbell was recorded as a prominent landowner in the Highlands of Scotland, while in the 17th century, Keither Macleod was a respected clan chief in the Outer Hebrides.
Outside of Scotland, the name Keither has been relatively rare throughout history, though a few individuals have borne this variant. One such example is Keither Apsley, an English soldier and politician who served as a member of parliament in the late 17th century. Another notable figure was Keither Fielding, an American writer and poet who published several works in the early 20th century.
While the name Keither has never achieved widespread popularity, it has retained a unique charm and connection to its Scottish and Gaelic roots, serving as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage of the British Isles.
People
Keither + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keither 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
Keither: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keither?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keither 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 - US residents.
Is Keither a common name?
We classify Keither as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% 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 Keither most popular?
The single biggest year for Keither was 1930, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keither is about 0 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 Keither in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keither a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keither 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 Keither still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keither 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 Keither 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 common is the name Keither?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.