2000
#11,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,483
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Keithley
From an English place name meaning "woodland clearing belonging to Keith," a diminutive of Keith meaning "wood."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,322 Americans carry the last name Keithley. That puts it at #14,233 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,612 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keithley 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
2.3K
1 in 147,612
Census rank
#14,233
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,025 bearers of the surname Keithley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14233rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keithley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keithley
Among Census respondents with the surname Keithley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Keithley 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 Keithley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 1,815
- Two or more races4.0% · 82
- Black or African American2.6% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keithley
Keithley 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
#12,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,506
+23 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 808 places
2020
#14,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,025
-481 bearers (-19.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,826 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,599 | 2,483 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,407 | 2,506 | 0.85 | +23 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 808 places |
| 2020 | #14,233 | 2,025 | 0.68 | -481 bearers (-19.2%) | Down 1,826 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 Keithley 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 | #12,407 | #14,233 | -14.7% |
| Count | 2,506 | 2,025 | -19.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.68 | -20.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keithley bearers went from 2,506 to 2,025 (-19.2% change). The surname moved down 1,826 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,407 to #14,233.
FAQ
Keithley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keithley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,322 living Americans carry the surname Keithley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,612 residents.
How common is Keithley?
Keithley ranks #14,233 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,025 people with the surname Keithley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Keithley.
Has Keithley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keithley went from 2,506 recorded bearers to 2,025. That is a decrease of 481 (-19.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,407 to #14,233.
What does the Census say about the background of Keithley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keithley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Keithley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (1,815 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keithley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Black (2.6%). 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 Keithley (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 Keithley mean?
From an English place name meaning "woodland clearing belonging to Keith," a diminutive of Keith meaning "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 Keithley (0.68 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 have the last name Keithley?
Find out how many people are called Keithley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.