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

Keels, 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 Keels surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keels in America

Keels is the 11138th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keels surname appeared 2,843 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Keels.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keels 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 Keels

The surname Keels is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "ciele" or "ceole," meaning a ship or a small vessel. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as an occupational surname to someone who worked on ships or boats, such as a shipbuilder or a sailor.

The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a person named "Ceolmund de Ceoles," which could be translated as "Ceolmund of the Keels" or "Ceolmund the Shipbuilder."

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname Keels was Sir John Keels, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent landowner in Lincolnshire, England. Another notable figure was William Keels, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who was active in the late 15th century and is mentioned in various trade records of that time.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records and tax rolls across different parts of England, particularly in the coastal regions. For instance, a Robert Keels was listed as a resident of the town of Rye in East Sussex in 1549, suggesting a connection to maritime activities in that area.

Several variations of the spelling can be found throughout history, such as Keeles, Keyles, and Keles. The name is also associated with place names like Keeleshill in Shropshire and Keelby in Lincolnshire, which may have influenced the development of the surname in those regions.

Notable individuals with the surname Keels include:

1. Sir Thomas Keels (c. 1570-1639), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1628.
2. John Keels (1627-1700), an English navigator and explorer who is credited with being the first European to land on the island of Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) in 1658.
3. William Keels (1794-1872), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons.
4. Mary Keels (1875-1959), an American educator and civil rights activist who worked to establish schools for African American children in the southern United States.
5. James Keels (1934-2019), an American actor and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and television shows throughout his career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keels

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

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

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

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