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

Keck, 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 Keck surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keck in America

Keck is the 3227th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keck surname appeared 11,186 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Keck.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keck 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 Keck

The surname Keck is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "keck," meaning "bold" or "brave." The name can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia in Germany.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 14th century, with mentions in various historical documents and records. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Codex Manesse, a historic manuscript from the early 14th century containing a collection of Middle High German poetry.

In the 15th century, the name Keck can be found in the Nuremberg Hussiten Records, which documented the names of individuals involved in the Hussite Wars. This suggests that some individuals bearing the name may have participated in these conflicts.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Keck was Hans Keck (c. 1420-1492), a prominent German merchant and banker from Nuremberg. He played a significant role in the city's economic and political affairs during the 15th century.

Another notable figure was Johann Keck (1572-1619), a German mathematician and astronomer born in Nuremberg. He contributed to the development of logarithms and was a contemporary of Johannes Kepler.

In the 17th century, the name Keck appeared in various records related to German immigration to the American colonies. One such individual was Hans Keck (c. 1630-1695), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent landowner and businessman.

The surname Keck can also be traced back to the village of Keckhausen, located in the German state of Hesse. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locative surname, referring to individuals who came from or lived in that particular area.

Other notable individuals with the surname Keck include Johann Friedrich Keck (1729-1789), a German composer and organist, and Friedrich Keck (1780-1849), a German landscape painter and engraver.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keck

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

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 Keck 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 Keck 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 Keck was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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