Keillor last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Keillor

An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "cueillor" meaning a collector or gatherer.

Keillor, 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 Keillor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keillor in America

Keillor is the 43584th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keillor surname appeared 495 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Keillor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keillor 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 43584 43463 0.28%
Count 495 468 5.61%
Proportion per 100k 0.17 0.17 0.00%

The history of the last name Keillor

The surname Keillor is believed to have originated in Scotland, likely during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic word "cil," meaning "church" or "chapel," and is thought to have been an occupational name for someone who lived or worked near a church or chapel.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keillor can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document that lists Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the name was in use by the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, the surname Keillor appears in various Scottish records, such as the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland. One notable individual was John Keillor, who was listed as a burgess (citizen) of Dundee in 1552.

By the 17th century, the name had spread across Scotland, with Keillors recorded in various parishes and counties. In the Scottish Parish Records of 1635, there is mention of a William Keillor in the parish of Kilrenny, Fife.

During the 18th century, the surname Keillor was found in various parts of Scotland, including Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire. One notable figure was Alexander Keillor (1770-1846), a Scottish minister and author who served as the minister of the parish of Dunlop in Ayrshire.

In the 19th century, the name Keillor continued to be associated with Scotland, though some individuals bearing the surname had begun to migrate to other parts of the world, including North America. One notable individual from this period was John Keillor (1810-1887), a Scottish-born farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Canada.

Other notable individuals with the surname Keillor include Garrison Keillor (born 1942), an American author, storyteller, and radio personality best known for his radio show "A Prairie Home Companion"; and Angus Keillor (1902-1986), a Scottish footballer who played for several clubs, including Dundee United and East Fife.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keillor

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

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 Keillor was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.37% 482
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 1.01% 5

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 Keillor has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.37% 98.50% -1.15%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.01% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Keillor last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 16, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/keillor-surname-popularity/.

"Keillor last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/keillor-surname-popularity/. Accessed 16 July, 2025

Keillor last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/keillor-surname-popularity/.

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