2000
#12,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,284
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Keeter
A surname derived from the Middle English word "ketere," referring to a maker or seller of kettles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,461 Americans carry the last name Keeter. That puts it at #13,541 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,274 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keeter 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
2.5K
1 in 139,274
Census rank
#13,541
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,146 bearers of the surname Keeter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13541st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keeter
The surname "Keeter" is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Kent, where it was derived from the Old English word "cete," meaning a small cottage or hut. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a small dwelling or worked as a laborer on a farm.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Kent, a census record from 1273. Here, the name is spelled "Ketere," indicating its close connection to the Old English root word. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327 mention a John Ketere, providing further evidence of the name's early presence in England.
In the 15th century, the name appears to have spread beyond Kent and Sussex, with records showing individuals named Keeter residing in other parts of England. For instance, the Hearth Tax Returns of Oxfordshire in 1665 list a William Keeter, while the Parish Registers of Wiltshire from the late 1600s document the marriage of a Thomas Keeter.
Notable individuals with the surname Keeter throughout history include:
1. John Keeter (c. 1520 - 1595), a prominent merchant and landowner in the village of Cranbrook, Kent.
2. Elizabeth Keeter (1632 - 1712), one of the first English settlers in the American colony of Virginia.
3. Samuel Keeter (1678 - 1745), a Quaker minister and author from Pennsylvania, known for his religious writings.
4. William Keeter (1771 - 1843), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Waterloo.
5. Mary Keeter (1848 - 1932), an early feminist and advocate for women's rights in the United States.
While the surname Keeter may not be as widespread today as some others, its origins can be traced back to the rural landscapes of medieval England, where it likely referred to humble cottagers or farm laborers. Over the centuries, the name has spread across continents and been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from merchants and soldiers to religious leaders and social reformers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keeter
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Keeter 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 Keeter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 1,910
- Two or more races5.3% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 55
- Black or African American2.1% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keeter
Keeter 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
#12,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,459
+175 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#13,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,146
-313 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 954 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,466 | 2,284 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,587 | 2,459 | 0.83 | +175 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #13,541 | 2,146 | 0.72 | -313 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 954 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 Keeter 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 | #12,587 | #13,541 | -7.6% |
| Count | 2,459 | 2,146 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.72 | -13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keeter bearers went from 2,459 to 2,146 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 954 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,587 to #13,541.
FAQ
Keeter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keeter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,461 living Americans carry the surname Keeter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,274 residents.
How common is Keeter?
Keeter ranks #13,541 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,146 people with the surname Keeter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Keeter.
Has Keeter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keeter went from 2,459 recorded bearers to 2,146. That is a decrease of 313 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,587 to #13,541.
What does the Census say about the background of Keeter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Keeter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (1,910 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keeter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Keeter (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 Keeter mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English word "ketere," referring to a maker or seller of kettles. 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 Keeter (0.72 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 Americans have the surname Keeter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.