2000
#11,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Keech
An English occupational surname for a person who made barrels or tubs, derived from Middle English "kechel" meaning "barrel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,642 Americans carry the last name Keech. That puts it at #12,776 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,733 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keech 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Keech with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 129,733
Census rank
#12,776
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,304 bearers of the surname Keech in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12776th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keech, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keech
The surname Keech is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cece," which means a small stream or brook. It is believed to have originated in the county of Hertfordshire, England, during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keech can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Kece" or "Keche." This suggests that the name was already present in various parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Keech was often associated with people living near small streams or brooks, particularly in the counties of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Bedfordshire. Some early variations of the spelling include Keche, Keeche, and Keache.
Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname Keech was John Keech (1608-1658), an English Particular Baptist minister and author from Hertfordshire. He played a significant role in the development of the Baptist movement in England during the 17th century.
Another prominent individual with this surname was George Keech (1728-1807), a British politician and member of parliament for Hindon, Wiltshire, from 1768 to 1796. He was known for his support of the Whig party and his advocacy for parliamentary reform.
In the 19th century, William Keech (1818-1895) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Holborn and the former London Orphan Asylum in Clapton.
The surname Keech was also found in various parts of the United States, particularly in the New England region, where it was likely brought by early English settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable American with this surname was Frank B. Keech (1856-1939), a successful businessman and politician from Ohio who served as the Secretary of State of Ohio from 1909 to 1913.
Another significant figure was Samuel Keech (1668-1719), an English Quaker minister and writer who travelled extensively and authored several religious works. He was known for his efforts to promote Quaker beliefs and practices in various parts of England and the American colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keech
Among Census respondents with the surname Keech, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Keech 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 Keech surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 2,040
- Two or more races3.8% · 88
- Black or African American3.1% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keech
Keech 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
#11,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,888
+453 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 768 places
2020
#12,776
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,304
-584 bearers (-20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 1,763 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,781 | 2,435 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,013 | 2,888 | 0.98 | +453 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 768 places |
| 2020 | #12,776 | 2,304 | 0.77 | -584 bearers (-20.2%) | Down 1,763 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 Keech 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 | #11,013 | #12,776 | -16.0% |
| Count | 2,888 | 2,304 | -20.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.77 | -21.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keech bearers went from 2,888 to 2,304 (-20.2% change). The surname moved down 1,763 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,013 to #12,776.
FAQ
Keech surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keech?
Name Census estimates that about 2,642 living Americans carry the surname Keech. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,733 residents.
How common is Keech?
Keech ranks #12,776 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,304 people with the surname Keech. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,642), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Keech.
Has Keech become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keech went from 2,888 recorded bearers to 2,304. That is a decrease of 584 (-20.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,013 to #12,776.
What does the Census say about the background of Keech?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keech, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.1%). 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 Keech in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (2,040 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keech appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (3.1%). 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 Keech (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 Keech mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who made barrels or tubs, derived from Middle English "kechel" meaning "barrel." 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 Keech (0.77 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 surname Keech?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.