Keith meaning | Last name Keith origin

Following is the meaning of Keith surname. Family name Keith is generally added after the name or middle name so also called last name.
Family Name / Last Name: Keith
No. of characters: 5
Origin: Scotland
Meaning: From the parish and lands of Keith, in Banffshire, Scotland. The name Keith is said to be derived from the Gaelic Gaoth, wind, pronounced somewhat similarly to Keith. The old village and kirk are called Arkeith, which may be a corruption of the Gaelic Ard Gaoth, signifying "high wind," which corresponds to its locality, which is peculiarly exposed to gusts of wind. In some old charters, Keith is written Gith, which still more resembles Gaith. Some believes the name is derived from the Welsh Cau, to close, to shut up. Concerning this family, the traditional account is, that they came from Germany in the reign of the Emperor Otho, and from the principality of Hesse, from which they were expelled in some revolution.

The first person of this family of whom our oldest historians take notice, is Robert De Keith, to whom Malcolm II, King of Scotland, gave the barony of Keith, in East Lothian, as a reward for killing Camus, a Danish general, who then invaded Scotland with a numerous army. The battle was fought at Barry, seven miles from Dundee, where an obelisk, called Camus' stone, still preserves the memory of the victory, and it is said the king, dipping his three fingers in the blood of the general, stroked them along the field of the Scotch champion's shield, to whom, besides the landed estate before mentioned, he gave the dignity of Great Marshal of Scotland

Keith is used as a family name or surname in Scotland languages. Keith has 5 characters long in length.

Keith is common in United States country(ies).

Keith is ranked 6758 in our list.

Despite the fact that the number of Keith bearers increased by 3.722164 per cent in 2010 US census to 48487 since 2000, the surname slipped by 55 spots and ranked at 718. The last name was found in around 164 per 1 million population. Please refer to following table for race and ethnicity.

Race 2010 2000
White 79.32 81.17
Black 14.52 14.1
Hispanic or Latino 2.28 1.61
Others 2.13 1.56
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.08 1.04
Asian and Native Hawaiian
& Other Pacific Islander		 0.67 0.52

It is also used as a first name, know the meaning of Keith

How popular is Keith?

Keith is quite popular family name mostly used in United States while Scotland is ahead in terms of density. Around 80382 people have been found who wears Keith as their family name. Keith is used widely across the globe. More detailed information can be found below:
RankCountryCount
Countries with very very low frequency i.e., 1 - 10:
946 Papua New Guinea5
8,689 Pakistan4
78,945 Argentina3
3,224 Afghanistan3
6,779 Nicaragua3
32,695 Nigeria3
11,290 Guyana3
7,683 Latvia3
32,472 Azerbaijan3
2,720 South Korea3
41,879 Turkey2
18,035 Egypt2
17,547 Colombia2
5,443 Dominican Republic2
20,035 Uzbekistan2
3,014 Taiwan2
2,617 Cambodia2
12,172 Ghana2
24,269 Peru2
6,353 Panama2
4,086 Angola2
Full Last Name Distribution ⇳

Immigrants to US

During the great famine, 35 years old workman Thoms. Keith who was residing in Ireland migrated to USA on January 16, 1849 by Arrick put out from Liverpool. 30 years old William Keith, John Keith (23) Workman, Soldier Mattw. Keith, Workman Michael Keith, 45 years old John Keith, 20 years old George Keith, Willm. Keith (19) Workman, 55 years old Mary Keith, 20 years old David Keith, and 14 other Keith around 64.71% of whom were workman migrated to US from New Ross, Liverpool and Halifax.

Celebrities having Keith surname

Tom Keith Actor
Farley Keith DJ
Kenton Keith Football player
Joe Keithley Musician
Agnes Newton Keith Author
Agnes Newton Keith Author
George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal Earl Marischal
Brian Keith Film actor
Albertina Keith Musical Artist
Algernon Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore British Politician
  • In 2016 drama film, Trigger'd 2, Kendra Keith characterized Annette Davis.
  • Bridgett Keith portrayed main character of Jennifer Jaymes in 0 horror, thriller flick Sins of Man II: Vengeance.
  • In 2017, Tylor Keith characterized the role of Keith in horror film Coveted Desires.

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    Surname is added at the end of the first name also known as given name. Most of the time, a family name is used as a surname. You might not know the meaning of Keith surname. We have collected informaton regarding the meaning and origin of Keith and displayed for better understanding of surnames. Discover how Keith is originated?
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