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

Keithley, 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 Keithley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keithley in America

Keithley is the 12407th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keithley surname appeared 2,506 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Keithley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keithley 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.

The history of the last name Keithley

The surname Keithley originates from England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cyththe" meaning a valley and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing, indicating that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a meadow in a valley.

The earliest recorded mention of the name Keithley appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census records compiled by royal officials in England. This suggests that the name was already established by the late 13th century.

The name Keithley may also be connected to various place names in England, such as Keighley in West Yorkshire, which was formerly spelled as Kigheley or Kyghelay in ancient records. It is possible that the surname originated from these place names or that the place names were derived from the surname itself.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Keithley was John Keithley, born around 1450 in Yorkshire, England. He was a landowner and records indicate that he held property in the village of Keighley.

Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Keithley, born in 1520 in Northamptonshire, England. He served as a member of Parliament and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571 for his loyal service.

In the 17th century, a family of Keithleys settled in the American colonies, with records showing that William Keithley arrived in Virginia from England in 1635. His descendants would go on to become prominent landowners and influential members of their communities.

During the English Civil War, a Captain Robert Keithley fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was mentioned in dispatches for his bravery in the Battle of Edgehill in 1642.

In the 18th century, Jonathan Keithley, born in 1712 in Leicestershire, England, was a respected scholar and author who wrote several books on theology and philosophy.

While the surname Keithley is relatively uncommon, it has been present throughout British history for several centuries and has been borne by individuals of note in various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keithley

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

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 Keithley was:

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

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

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

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