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

Kees, 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 Kees surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kees in America

Kees is the 13991st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kees surname appeared 2,154 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 Kees.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kees 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 Kees

The surname "KEES" is of Dutch origin, and it can be traced back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. It is derived from the Dutch word "Kees," which is a diminutive form of the name "Cornelius." The name was particularly common in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch archives from the late 1500s. In these records, a man named Pieter Kees is mentioned as a resident of the city of Amsterdam.

The name "KEES" can also be linked to various place names in the Netherlands, such as Keestergat, a small village in the municipality of Schagen. This village's name is believed to have originated from the surname "KEES," suggesting that the name was well-established in the region.

In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname "KEES" was Jan Kees, a Dutch painter born in 1628 in Haarlem. His works, primarily depicting landscapes and seascapes, were highly regarded during his lifetime.

Another prominent individual with the surname "KEES" was Willem Kees, born in 1796 in Rotterdam. He was a renowned Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in the city, including the Rotterdamse Schouwburg (Rotterdam Theater).

In the 19th century, Cornelius Kees, born in 1825 in Amsterdam, was a successful merchant and philanthropist. He was known for his contributions to various charitable organizations and his support for education initiatives in the city.

Around the same period, Johanna Kees, born in 1841 in Leiden, was a pioneering Dutch educator. She played a significant role in establishing new teaching methods and advocating for educational reforms in the Netherlands.

While the surname "KEES" is primarily associated with the Netherlands, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and in countries with Dutch settlements, such as South Africa and the United States, due to migration patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kees

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

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

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

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