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

Keeling, 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 Keeling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keeling in America

Keeling is the 3975th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keeling surname appeared 8,938 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Keeling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keeling 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 Keeling

The surname Keeling is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the village of Keeling in Yorkshire, which was recorded as "Kelinga" in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "cyl" meaning a spring or stream, and "ing" meaning a meadow or enclosure.

The earliest known bearer of the name was John de Keeling, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. Another early record is that of Roger de Kelyng, who appeared in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1326. The name was also found in various other historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls, Assize Rolls, and the Hundred Rolls.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Keeling family held lands and manors in various parts of Yorkshire, including Rawdon and Calverley. One notable member of the family was William Keeling (c.1585-1665), an English merchant and maritime explorer who served as the first Governor of the East India Company's factory in Bantam, Java.

In the 18th century, John Keeling (1704-1786) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1736.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Ralph Keeling (1762-1834), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was knighted in 1815 for his distinguished service.

In the 19th century, William Keeling (1807-1886) was an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. James the Less in Westminster and the Euston Fire Station.

The Keeling surname has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout England, such as Keeling Hall in Norfolk, Keeling Farm in Cheshire, and Keeling Street in London.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keeling

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

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

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

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