2000
#663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,747
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.33
Uncommon Last name
Keith
A Scottish and English surname derived from a place name meaning "large woods" or "wooded area."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 51,900 Americans carry the last name Keith. That puts it at #749 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,604 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keith 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 Keith with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
52K
1 in 6,604
Census rank
#749
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
45K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,259 bearers of the surname Keith in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 749th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keith, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keith
The surname Keith originates from the Scottish Borders region, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Cumbric term 'ced,' meaning a wood or forest, combined with the Old English word 'hith,' meaning a haven or landing place. This suggests that the name likely originated from a location near a wooded area or a safe harbor.
The earliest recorded instance of the Keith surname appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One notable entry is Robert de Kethe, a landowner from the village of Keith in East Lothian, Scotland.
During the 13th century, the Keith family established themselves as a prominent Scottish clan, with their ancestral seat located at the Keith Marischal estate in East Lothian. This estate was granted to them by King Robert the Bruce in recognition of their loyalty and military service during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
In the 14th century, Sir Robert Keith, born around 1305, played a significant role in Scottish history. He served as the Great Marischal of Scotland, a hereditary position responsible for the organization and command of the Scottish armies. Sir Robert Keith was also a close confidant of King David II and accompanied him into exile in France.
Another notable figure bearing the Keith surname was George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal (1553-1623). He was a prominent Scottish nobleman and statesman who served as the Lord Privy Seal of Scotland and played a crucial role in the negotiations leading to the Union of the Crowns in 1603, which united the kingdoms of Scotland and England under King James VI of Scotland (James I of England).
In the 17th century, James Keith (1696-1758) was a Scottish soldier and Prussian field marshal who served under King Frederick the Great of Prussia. He distinguished himself in several battles during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, earning the nickname "The Prussian Keith."
Over the centuries, variations of the Keith surname emerged, including Keyth, Keath, and Keithe. These variants were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in historical records. Additionally, the name has been associated with several place names, such as Keith in Banffshire, Scotland, and Keith in Moray, Scotland, further cementing its Scottish heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keith
Among Census respondents with the surname Keith, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Keith 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 Keith surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 34,769
- Black or African American13.8% · 6,245
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,965
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,480
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 469
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 331
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keith
Keith 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
#718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,487
+1,740 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 16.44
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,259
-3,228 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 15.14
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #663 | 46,747 | 17.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #718 | 48,487 | 16.44 | +1,740 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #749 | 45,259 | 15.14 | -3,228 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 31 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 Keith 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 | #718 | #749 | -4.3% |
| Count | 48,487 | 45,259 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 16.44 | 15.14 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keith bearers went from 48,487 to 45,259 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #718 to #749.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Keith
FAQ
Keith surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keith?
Name Census estimates that about 51,900 living Americans carry the surname Keith. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,604 residents.
How common is Keith?
Keith ranks #749 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,259 people with the surname Keith. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (51,900), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Keith.
Has Keith become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keith went from 48,487 recorded bearers to 45,259. That is a decrease of 3,228 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #718 to #749.
What does the Census say about the background of Keith?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keith, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Keith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (34,769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keith appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.8%), Black (13.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Keith (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 Keith mean?
A Scottish and English surname derived from a place name meaning "large woods" or "wooded area." 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 Keith (15.14 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 common is the surname Keith?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Keith, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.