Find out how popular the last name Keast is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Keast.

Keast, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Keast surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keast in America

Keast is the 25751st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keast surname appeared 957 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Keast.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keast to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Keast

The surname Keast originates from the English county of Cornwall, where it was first recorded in the late 16th century. The name is derived from the Cornish word "keas," meaning a grove or thicket of trees, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or owned a wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Keast surname can be found in the parish records of St. Columb Minor, Cornwall, in the year 1595. The name appears as "Keast" in this record, suggesting that the spelling has remained relatively consistent over time.

In the 17th century, the Keast family seems to have been concentrated in the Cornish parishes of St. Columb Major, St. Enoder, and St. Mawgan-in-Kerrier. Notable individuals from this period include William Keast, who was born in 1634 in St. Columb Major, and John Keast, born in 1652 in St. Enoder.

As the Keast family spread throughout Cornwall and beyond, variations in spelling began to appear, such as Keaste, Keist, and Keyst. However, the predominant spelling remained Keast.

One of the most notable individuals bearing this surname was Sir John Keast, a 19th-century English naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1792 in Kingsbridge, Devon, and rose to the rank of Admiral before his death in 1865.

Another prominent figure was Richard Keast, a Cornish mining engineer who played a significant role in the development of the Cornish mining industry in the 19th century. He was born in 1819 in Redruth, Cornwall, and his contributions to mining technology and safety practices were widely recognized.

In the realm of literature, John Keast Hosken was a notable Cornish writer and historian who published works on the history and folklore of Cornwall in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in 1865 in St. Enoder, Cornwall, and his writings provide valuable insights into the cultural heritage of the region.

Moving into the 20th century, Sir Herbert Keast was a prominent Australian public servant and diplomat. Born in 1907 in Adelaide, South Australia, he served as the Australian Ambassador to the United States from 1951 to 1956 and played a significant role in strengthening diplomatic ties between the two countries.

While the Keast surname may have originated in Cornwall, it has since spread across the globe, with notable bearers emerging in various fields, from military service to mining, literature, and diplomacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keast

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Keast.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Keast was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Keast has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Keast was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Keast, please contact us.

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