2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Keresey
A surname derived from the name of a town in England known for its textile manufacturing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Keresey. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keresey 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Keresey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keresey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keresey
The surname Keresey is believed to have originated in England, likely in the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place called Kersey, a village in Suffolk, England. The etymology of the place name Kersey itself is uncertain, but it may derive from the Old English words "cers" or "cress," meaning watercress, and "ey," meaning island or dry ground.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Keresey can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk from the year 1230, where it appears as "de Kerseia." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the 13th century.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1274-1275, a record of landowners in England, there is an entry for a Thomas de Kersie, likely a resident of the village of Kersey at the time. This provides further evidence of the name's early roots in Suffolk.
During the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Kersie, Kerseye, and Kersey, reflecting the changes in language and spelling conventions over time. In the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, there is a record of a John Kersye from Suffolk.
One notable individual with the surname Keresey was John Keresey, who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich, and his name appears in various legal documents and records from that time.
Another individual of note was Thomas Keresey, a clergyman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was the rector of the parish of Santon in Norfolk and is mentioned in various ecclesiastical records from the period.
In the 17th century, the name Keresey is found in various parish records and legal documents from Suffolk and Norfolk. One example is William Keresey, a yeoman farmer from the village of Kersey, who is mentioned in a land transaction document dated 1643.
Another individual of note from this period was Robert Keresey, a merchant and ship owner from the town of Ipswich, Suffolk. He was involved in the thriving wool trade and is mentioned in several trade records from the late 17th century.
As the surname spread beyond its origins in Suffolk, variations in spelling emerged, such as Kersey, Kerseye, and Kersie. However, the core pronunciation and meaning remained tied to the village of Kersey and its association with the watercress plant.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keresey
Among Census respondents with the surname Keresey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Keresey 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 Keresey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keresey
Keresey 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-20 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 30,093 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+10 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 30,093 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 11,047 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 Keresey 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 | #159,712 | #148,665 | 6.9% |
| Count | 101 | 111 | 9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keresey bearers went from 101 to 111 (+9.9% change). The surname moved up 11,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #148,665.
FAQ
Keresey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keresey?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Keresey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Keresey?
Keresey ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Keresey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Keresey.
Has Keresey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keresey went from 101 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 10 (+9.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Keresey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keresey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Keresey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keresey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Keresey (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 Keresey mean?
A surname derived from the name of a town in England known for its textile manufacturing. 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 Keresey (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 Americans have the surname Keresey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.