Keyon
An English masculine name of uncertain meaning, potentially related to the element keye.
Name Census estimates that about 5,843 living Americans carry the first name Keyon. It is a predominantly male name (98.3% of registrations). The average person named Keyon today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keyon births was 2002 (249 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keyon. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Keyon with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Keyon is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 101 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
5.8K
~ 1 in 58,661 Americans
Peak year
2002
249 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,018
Tracked since 1972
Census
Keyon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,297 people with the first name Keyon, which placed it at #4,378 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
#4,378
National first-name rank
People counted
4.3K
4,297 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
83.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keyon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Keyon is Black at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and White (4.5%). 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 Keyon 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 Keyon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.8% · 3,599
- Two or more races7.2% · 308
- White4.5% · 192
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 146
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 26
Gender
Gender distribution for Keyon
Keyon leans heavily male at 98.3% of total registrations, but 101 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Keyon as a male name
- Ranked #2,018 in 2024
- 76 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2002 (249 births)
Keyon as a female name
- Ranked #10,035 in 1994
- 8 female births in 1994
- Peak: 1981 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Keyon leans strongly male. 4,158 people counted with this name were male (96.8%), compared with 139 female bearers (3.2%).
Popularity
Keyon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keyon from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 2,213 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keyon 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 Keyon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Keyons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. Florida, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Keyon, while Connecticut, Arizona, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 152 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Keyon
The name Keyon is believed to have its origins in the African language of Yoruba, spoken in parts of West Africa, particularly Nigeria. The Yoruba word "Keyon" is thought to derive from the phrase "Ki o ní ìyè," which translates to "may you have peace" or "may you find peace." This suggests that the name was likely given to newborns as a wish or blessing for a peaceful and tranquil life.
While the exact time period when the name first emerged is uncertain, it is believed to have been in use among the Yoruba people for centuries, possibly dating back to the 15th or 16th century. The name's association with peace and tranquility aligns with the cultural values and traditions of the Yoruba, who have a rich history and strong emphasis on spiritual beliefs and practices.
Historical records and ancient texts mentioning the name Keyon are scarce, as written documentation from the Yoruba culture during that era is limited. However, there are a few notable individuals throughout history who bore this name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Keyon was Keyon Babatunde, a respected Yoruba scholar and philosopher who lived in the late 17th century. He is known for his writings and teachings on traditional Yoruba wisdom and spirituality.
In the 19th century, Keyon Adebayo was a prominent Yoruba chief and leader who played a significant role in the resistance against colonial rule in present-day Nigeria. His bravery and leadership during this period earned him a place in the history of the Yoruba people.
Fast forward to the 20th century, Keyon Oladimeji was a Nigerian artist and painter who gained recognition for his vibrant depictions of Yoruba culture and traditions. His works are celebrated for capturing the essence of Yoruba life and have been exhibited in various galleries and museums.
Another notable figure with the name Keyon was Keyon Akinwande, a Nigerian-American writer and journalist born in 1955. He is known for his insightful writings on African culture, politics, and the African diaspora experience.
More recently, Keyon Dooling, born in 1980, is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA for several teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who carried the name Keyon, each leaving their mark in various fields and cultures. While the name may not be as widely known or popular as some others, its origins and meaning reflect a rich cultural heritage and a wish for peace and tranquility.
People
Keyon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keyon 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
Keyon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keyon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,843 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keyon 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 58,661 US residents.
Is Keyon a common name?
We classify Keyon as "Rare". It ranks above 96.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,958 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keyon most popular?
The single biggest year for Keyon was 2002, when 249 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keyon is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Keyon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,297 people with the name Keyon, or 1.42 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,378 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 Keyon 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 Keyon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Keyon leans strongly male. 4,158 people counted with this name were male (96.8%), compared with 139 female bearers (3.2%). 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 Keyon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Keyon is Black at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and White (4.5%). 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 Keyon most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Keyon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (3,599 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 Keyon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keyon a male name?
Yes, 98.3% of people registered as Keyon 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 Keyon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keyon 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 Keyon 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 common is the name Keyon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.