2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Keeten
A surname of uncertain origin, potentially derived from a locational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Keeten. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keeten 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Keeten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeten, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (13.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keeten
The surname KEETEN is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Lincolnshire, during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cyt," meaning a small cottage or hut, which was later anglicized as "kete" or "kete." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in or owned a small dwelling or cottage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KEETEN can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, a census-like record compiled during the reign of King Edward I (1272-1307). The name is listed as "Robert de Kete," indicating that it was likely a locative surname, referring to a place of residence or origin.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "Keton," "Ketun," and "Keten," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time period. These variants can be found in medieval records, including the Poll Tax returns of 1379 and the Subsidy Rolls of 1381.
One notable figure bearing the name KEETEN was John Keeten, a yeoman farmer who lived in the village of Saxby, Lincolnshire, in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524-25, which recorded taxpayers in the region.
Another historical figure was Thomas Keeten, a merchant who was active in the city of London during the 16th century. He is mentioned in the records of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, one of the oldest livery companies in the city, as having been admitted as a freeman in 1562.
In the 17th century, the surname KEETEN appears in various parish records and court rolls across Lincolnshire and neighboring counties. One notable example is William Keeten, a landowner from the village of Grimsby, who was involved in a legal dispute over property boundaries in 1638, as recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Grimsby.
During the 18th century, the surname KEETEN spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in counties such as Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire. One notable figure from this period was James Keeten (1701-1778), a successful merchant and landowner from the town of Beverley in Yorkshire.
In the 19th century, the KEETEN surname continued to be found across various regions of England, with several individuals achieving notable positions. For example, John Keeten (1821-1897) was a prominent banker and philanthropist in the city of Bristol, while Thomas Keeten (1839-1912) was a respected solicitor and mayor of the town of Grantham, Lincolnshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keeten
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeten, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (13.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Keeten 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 Keeten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.9% · 66
- Black or African American19.0% · 20
- Two or more races13.3% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keeten
Keeten appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 4,245 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 Keeten 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 | #157,234 | #152,989 | 2.7% |
| Count | 103 | 105 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keeten bearers went from 103 to 105 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 4,245 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #152,989.
FAQ
Keeten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keeten?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Keeten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Keeten?
Keeten ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Keeten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Keeten.
Has Keeten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keeten went from 103 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Keeten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeten, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (13.3%). 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 Keeten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.9% (66 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keeten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.9%), Black (19.0%), Two or More Races (13.3%). 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 Keeten (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 Keeten mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, potentially derived from a locational name. 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 Keeten (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 share the surname Keeten?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.