2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Keskinen
A Finnish surname meaning "middle" or "central."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Keskinen. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keskinen 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Keskinen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keskinen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keskinen
The surname KESKINEN originated in Finland. It is derived from the Finnish word "keskinen," which means "middle" or "central." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname referring to someone who lived in the central part of a region or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname KESKINEN can be traced back to the 16th century in various Finnish parish records and census documents. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Jaakko Keskinen, born in 1564 in the town of Turku, and Pekka Keskinen, born in 1587 in the village of Loimaa.
In the 17th century, the surname KESKINEN began to appear more frequently in historical records across Finland. One notable figure from this period was Matti Keskinen, a farmer and landowner born in 1621 in the village of Hämeenlinna. His descendant, Antti Keskinen, born in 1678, became a respected local leader and was mentioned in several land dispute documents from the late 1600s.
As the name spread across Finland, regional variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. For example, in some areas, the name was recorded as "Keskinen," while in others, it was written as "Keskinnen" or "Keskynnen."
During the 19th century, several prominent individuals bearing the surname KESKINEN emerged. One of them was Juho Keskinen, a Finnish writer and poet born in 1824 in the town of Tampere. His works, which included poems and short stories, played a significant role in the development of Finnish literature.
Another noteworthy figure from this period was Kaisa Keskinen, born in 1841 in the village of Kuopio. She was a renowned traditional healer and herbalist, and her knowledge of natural remedies was widely sought after throughout the region.
In the 20th century, the KESKINEN surname continued to be well-represented in various fields. One notable individual was Eero Keskinen, a Finnish architect born in 1909 in Helsinki. He was responsible for designing several iconic buildings in the city, including the Helsinki City Theatre and the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, which hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Liisa Keskinen, a Finnish politician born in 1928 in the town of Kotka. She served as a member of the Finnish Parliament for over 20 years and was a vocal advocate for women's rights and social justice issues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keskinen
Among Census respondents with the surname Keskinen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Keskinen 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 Keskinen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keskinen
Keskinen 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+11 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 313 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-22 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 313 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 20,474 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 Keskinen 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 | #123,796 | #144,270 | -16.5% |
| Count | 139 | 117 | -15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keskinen bearers went from 139 to 117 (-15.8% change). The surname moved down 20,474 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #144,270.
FAQ
Keskinen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keskinen?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Keskinen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Keskinen?
Keskinen ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Keskinen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Keskinen.
Has Keskinen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keskinen went from 139 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 22 (-15.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Keskinen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keskinen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Keskinen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keskinen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Keskinen (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 Keskinen mean?
A Finnish surname meaning "middle" or "central." 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 Keskinen (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 Keskinen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.