2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Keif
A surname derived from an Arabic word meaning "peace" or "tranquility".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Keif. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keif 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Keif in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keif, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keif
The surname KEIF is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "kuif," which translates to "tuft" or "crest." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone with a distinctive tuft of hair or a crest on their helmet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KEIF surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century. In this record, a person named "Cuonradus Kuif" is mentioned, indicating that the name was in use during this time.
The KEIF surname also appears in the Breviarium Ecclesiae Vratislaviensis, a manuscript from the 13th century that contains records of the Bishopric of Wrocław in Poland. This suggests that the name may have spread beyond Germany during the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, a notable individual named Johannes Keif was mentioned in the Annales Saxonici, a chronicle of events in Saxony. He was likely a prominent figure in the region at the time.
During the 16th century, a man named Hans Keif (1522-1589) was a well-known merchant and trader in the city of Nuremberg. He is mentioned in various historical records and documents related to the city's trade and commerce.
Another notable person with the KEIF surname was Johann Keif (1677-1741), a German composer and organist who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He is known for his contributions to the musical tradition of the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, a German-American named Friedrich Keif (1815-1892) gained recognition as a prominent architect and builder in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. He designed several notable buildings and structures in the city during his career.
Throughout history, the KEIF surname has also been associated with various place names, such as the village of Keiferdingen in southern Germany, which likely derived its name from the KEIF surname.
While the origins of the KEIF surname can be traced back to medieval Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the historical records mentioned above provide valuable insights into the early use and significance of this surname in its place of origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keif
Among Census respondents with the surname Keif, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Keif 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 Keif surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino11.0% · 13
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keif
Keif 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,179 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 7,179 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,403 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 Keif 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 | #142,108 | #143,511 | -1.0% |
| Count | 117 | 118 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keif bearers went from 117 to 118 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #143,511.
FAQ
Keif surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keif?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Keif. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Keif?
Keif ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Keif. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Keif.
Has Keif become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keif went from 117 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Keif?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keif, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Keif in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keif appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Hispanic (11.0%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Keif (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 Keif mean?
A surname derived from an Arabic word meaning "peace" or "tranquility". 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 Keif (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 are called Keif?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Keif, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.