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

Key, 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 Key surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Key in America

Key is the 1037th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Key surname appeared 33,501 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Key.

We can also compare 2010 data for Key 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 Key

The surname Key is of English origin, and it is believed to have derived from the Old English word "caeg," which means "key." This word was likely used as a nickname for someone who worked as a key maker or locksmith during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Key can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in counties such as Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Gloucestershire. Some early spellings of the name include Keye, Kaye, and Keay.

In the 13th century, a man named Thomas Key was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1257. Another early record comes from the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1275, where a Robert le Keye is listed.

The surname Key is also found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Cai" and "Chei" in this record.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Key was Sir William Key, who was born in Warwickshire in the late 13th century and served as a Knight of the Shire for Warwickshire in the English Parliament in 1313.

Another notable figure was Thomas Key, a 16th-century English clergyman and scholar who was born in Sussex in 1502. He served as the Rector of Wrotham in Kent and was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts.

In the 17th century, John Key, born in 1602 in Gloucestershire, was a prominent English Puritan and minister who served as the Rector of St. Giles' Church in Camberwell, London.

During the 18th century, Benjamin Key, born in 1724 in London, was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of navigation and celestial mechanics.

In the 19th century, Thomas Hewitt Key, born in 1799 in Herefordshire, was a renowned English philosopher and author who wrote extensively on topics such as metaphysics and the philosophy of language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Key

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

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

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

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