Keaton
Keaton was the 771st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 333 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 353rd; the most babies were born in 2007 (881). Over the last ten years it has moved down 291 places. More babies were named Keaton in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning English surname (origin uncertain) · English
Say it KEE-tun /ˈkitən/
- Rank in 2025
- #771 boys, down 81 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 333boys
- Girls and boys
- 11% girls, 89% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2007881 babies
- Total since 1880
- 23,505babies recorded
What does the name Keaton mean?
Keaton is an English surname used as a first name. Wiktionary gives two possible origins: a variant of the surnames Caton or Keeton, or a place name from Keaton in Ermington, Devon, perhaps from Welsh cae 'enclosure, hedge' plus Middle English toun 'farmstead, settlement'. Neither origin is settled. The silent-film comedian Buster Keaton and the actors Diane and Michael Keaton (both stage names) made the surname familiar.
toun (Middle English, “farmstead, settlement”)cae (Welsh, “enclosure, hedge (proposed)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Wiktionary offers two possible origins with 'possibly'.
Related names: Keeton, Keegan.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Keaton', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Keaton popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,164 | #771 | 86 | 333 |
| 2020 | #6,202 | #690 | 19 | 369 |
| 2010 | #3,384 | #367 | 48 | 804 |
| 2000 | #3,096 | #353 | 45 | 761 |
| 1990 | #5,682 | #592 | 16 | 283 |
| 1980 | — | #2,084 | — | 26 |
| 1970 | — | #5,094 | — | 5 |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Keaton, counting every spelling?
Keaton is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #719 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #771 for Keaton on its own. Together these spellings went to 356 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keaton | 333 | #771 | 1,552 |
| Keeton | 13 | #6,645 | 54 |
| Keyton | 10 | #7,970 | 45 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Keaton?
333 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Keaton (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Keaton born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 25 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Keaton.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Keaton?
About 21,700 people born in the US named Keaton are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 13 and 27. That makes Keaton mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Keaton by state
How common Keaton was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (4.8×), Iowa (2.7×), Kentucky (2.5×), Missouri (2.4×), Tennessee (2.2×). In 17 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Keaton: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Keaton, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Keaton · Sibling names for Keaton
Questions about the name Keaton
What does Keaton mean?
Keaton is usually explained as “English surname (origin uncertain)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Keaton?
Keaton was the 771st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 333 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 353rd; the most babies were born in 2007 (881). Over the last ten years it has moved down 291 places. More babies were named Keaton in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Keaton a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 11% girls, 89% boys given the name Keaton in the US.
Where is Keaton most popular?
In 2021–2025, Keaton was most common in West Virginia (0.86 per 1,000 boys), followed by Iowa and Kentucky.