2000
#14,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Keathley
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "clearing in the woods" or "glade in a wood."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,483 Americans carry the last name Keathley. That puts it at #13,447 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,040 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keathley surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,040
Census rank
#13,447
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,165 bearers of the surname Keathley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13447th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keathley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keathley
The surname Keathley has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 11th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ceat" meaning a hut or cottage, and "leah" meaning a meadow or woodland clearing. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a cottage in a clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keathley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. This indicates that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the spelling included Keatelie, Keateley, and Keatlie. These different spellings reflect the regional variations in pronunciation and dialect at the time.
In the 16th century, records show a Thomas Keathley who was born in Staffordshire, England in 1532. He was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants continued to use the Keathley name in the region for several generations.
Another notable figure with the Keathley surname was Sir John Keathley, born in 1645 in Yorkshire, England. He was a prominent lawyer and served as a judge on the Court of King's Bench during the reign of King Charles II.
In the 18th century, a William Keathley, born in 1702 in Derbyshire, England, was a renowned clockmaker and inventor. His designs for clocks and timepieces were highly regarded and sought after by the wealthy elite of the time.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Keathley name was in Virginia in the late 17th century. John Keathley, born in 1675 in Gloucestershire, England, emigrated to Virginia and established a successful tobacco plantation.
Another notable American with the Keathley surname was Samuel Keathley, born in 1789 in North Carolina. He was a soldier in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent politician, serving as a member of the Tennessee State Legislature.
The surname Keathley has its roots firmly planted in English history, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 11th century. While it may have originated as a reference to someone living in a cottage in a woodland clearing, the name has endured and spread across the globe, carried by individuals who have made their mark in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keathley
Among Census respondents with the surname Keathley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Keathley bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Keathley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,951
- Two or more races4.8% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 61
- Black or African American1.5% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keathley
Keathley appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,955
+100 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 397 places
2020
#13,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,165
+210 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 1,643 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,693 | 1,855 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,090 | 1,955 | 0.66 | +100 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 397 places |
| 2020 | #13,447 | 2,165 | 0.72 | +210 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 1,643 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Keathley surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,090 | #13,447 | 10.9% |
| Count | 1,955 | 2,165 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.72 | 9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keathley bearers went from 1,955 to 2,165 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 1,643 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,090 to #13,447.
FAQ
Keathley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keathley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,483 living Americans carry the surname Keathley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,040 residents.
How common is Keathley?
Keathley ranks #13,447 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,165 people with the surname Keathley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,483), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Keathley.
Has Keathley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keathley went from 1,955 recorded bearers to 2,165. That is an increase of 210 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,090 to #13,447.
What does the Census say about the background of Keathley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keathley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Keathley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,951 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keathley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (2.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Keathley (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Keathley mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "clearing in the woods" or "glade in a wood." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Keathley (0.72 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Keathley?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Keathley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.