2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Keddell
A locational surname derived from a place name near Edinburgh, Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Keddell. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keddell 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Keddell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keddell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keddell
The surname Keddell is of Scottish origin and is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the Scottish place name "Kedslie" or "Kedslee," which is located in East Lothian, near Edinburgh. The name may have evolved from the Old English words "cēd," meaning "wood," and "lēah," meaning "meadow" or "clearing," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a wooded area or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keddell can be found in the Scottish parish records of Dunfermline, Fife, from the late 17th century. In these records, the name is spelled various ways, including "Keddell," "Keddall," and "Keddie," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time.
The Keddell surname is also believed to have connections to the Scottish Borders region, where variations of the name, such as "Kedzie" and "Keddy," were more prevalent. These variations may have derived from the same linguistic roots as the Keddell name.
Historical figures bearing the Keddell surname include:
1. Robert Keddell (1766-1842), a Scottish merchant and businessman who established a successful trading company in Montreal, Canada.
2. John Keddell (1803-1875), a Scottish-born politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada.
3. William Keddell (1814-1890), a Scottish-born architect and civil engineer who was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Melbourne, Australia.
4. George Keddell (1828-1904), a Scottish-born farmer and community leader who played a significant role in the early development of the Huron County region of Ontario, Canada.
5. James Keddell (1870-1946), a Scottish-born journalist and author who wrote extensively on Scottish history and culture.
While the Keddell surname may not have been as widely prevalent as some other Scottish names, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its origins in the Scottish Lowlands, where it was likely associated with specific geographic locations and the occupations or lifestyles of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keddell
Among Census respondents with the surname Keddell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Keddell 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 Keddell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 95
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keddell
Keddell 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+5 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,213 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-14 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 4,213 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 13,608 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 Keddell 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 | #137,327 | #150,935 | -9.9% |
| Count | 122 | 108 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keddell bearers went from 122 to 108 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 13,608 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #150,935.
FAQ
Keddell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keddell?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Keddell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Keddell?
Keddell ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Keddell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Keddell.
Has Keddell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keddell went from 122 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Keddell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keddell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) 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 Keddell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keddell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (5.6%), 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 Keddell (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 Keddell mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name near Edinburgh, Scotland. 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 Keddell (0.04 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 are called Keddell?
You can see how many people have the last name Keddell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.