2000
#3,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.46
Uncommon Last name
Keeton
A locational surname derived from places in Yorkshire, England, likely referring to a town near a wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,687 Americans carry the last name Keeton. That puts it at #3,706 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,072 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keeton 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Keeton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,072
Census rank
#3,706
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,320 bearers of the surname Keeton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3706th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeton, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keeton
The surname Keeton is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cyta," which means "cottage" or "small dwelling." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a small house or cottage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keeton can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where a person named Richard Keyton is mentioned. The spelling variation "Keyton" further supports the idea that the name originated from the word "cyta."
The surname Keeton is also closely related to the place name "Keyton," which is a small village in Shropshire, England. It is possible that the name was initially adopted by families residing in or near this village.
In the 13th century, the Keeton surname appeared in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire, where a person named William Keyton was recorded in 1272. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region by that time.
One notable individual with the surname Keeton was John Keeton, a prominent English lawyer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries (c. 1560-1630). He served as a Member of Parliament and was appointed as a Serjeant-at-Law in 1614.
Another figure of historical significance was Henry Keeton (1704-1776), an English Baptist minister and author. He published several religious works, including "The Travels of True Godliness" and "The Distressed Soul's Catechism."
In the 19th century, William Keeton (1816-1878) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Holy Trinity Church in Marylebone.
During the same period, George Keeton (1817-1891) was a British politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament and was appointed as a Queen's Counsel in 1865.
Finally, George Williams Keeton (1855-1917) was an English scholar and linguist who specialized in the study of ancient languages, particularly Sanskrit. He served as a professor at University College, London, and authored several works on Indian philology.
These examples demonstrate the historical presence and significance of the surname Keeton, which has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keeton
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeton, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Keeton 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 Keeton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 7,557
- Black or African American10.3% · 958
- Two or more races4.4% · 409
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 291
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keeton
Keeton 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
#3,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,748
+406 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 3.30
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#3,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,320
-428 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,500 | 9,342 | 3.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,647 | 9,748 | 3.30 | +406 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #3,706 | 9,320 | 3.12 | -428 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 59 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 Keeton 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 | #3,647 | #3,706 | -1.6% |
| Count | 9,748 | 9,320 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.30 | 3.12 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keeton bearers went from 9,748 to 9,320 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,647 to #3,706.
FAQ
Keeton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keeton?
Name Census estimates that about 10,687 living Americans carry the surname Keeton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,072 residents.
How common is Keeton?
Keeton ranks #3,706 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,320 people with the surname Keeton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,687), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Keeton.
Has Keeton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keeton went from 9,748 recorded bearers to 9,320. That is a decrease of 428 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,647 to #3,706.
What does the Census say about the background of Keeton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeton, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Keeton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (7,557 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keeton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.1%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Keeton (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 Keeton mean?
A locational surname derived from places in Yorkshire, England, likely referring to a town near a wood. 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 Keeton (3.12 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 Keeton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.