Keith
Keith was the 801st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 311 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 32nd; the most babies were born in 1957 (12,437). Over the last ten years it has moved down 377 places. More babies were named Keith in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning wood (Scottish place name) · Scottish Gaelic, Pictish
Say it KEETH /kiθ/
- Rank in 2025
- #801 boys, down 203 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 311boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195712,437 babies
- Total since 1880
- 440,123babies recorded
What does the name Keith mean?
Keith is a Scottish surname from a place in Moray. Wiktionary derives the place name from Scottish Gaelic Cèith, probably borrowed from a Pictish word for wood or forest, related to Welsh coed. Wiktionary also mentions a German surname Keith from a Middle High German word for sprout or offspring, a separate origin. As a first name Keith comes from the Scottish surname and has been used in the US since 1888.
Cèith (Scottish Gaelic, “Keith (place name)”)*cēt (Pictish (reconstructed), “wood, forest”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary says 'probably' Pictish; the word is reconstructed.
Related names: Keath, Keeth.
See also: Scottish names, names that mean tree, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Keith' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Keith popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,216 since 1900.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #801 | 311 |
| 2020 | #598 | 461 |
| 2010 | #346 | 890 |
| 2000 | #222 | 1,525 |
| 1990 | #80 | 4,481 |
| 1980 | #56 | 5,887 |
| 1970 | #38 | 9,615 |
| 1960 | #35 | 12,180 |
| 1950 | #78 | 4,566 |
| 1940 | #125 | 1,512 |
| 1930 | #130 | 1,354 |
| 1920 | #175 | 803 |
| 1910 | #411 | 43 |
| 1900 | #638 | 16 |
| 1890 | #848 | 7 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Keith, counting every spelling?
Keith has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #782 for boys in 2025, against #801 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Keith?
311 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Keith (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Keith 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 27 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Keith.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Keith?
About 332,800 people born in the US named Keith are alive today, with a median age of 56; half are between 44 and 66. That makes Keith a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Keith by state
How common Keith was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Missouri (2.0×), Louisiana (1.9×), Oklahoma (1.8×), Ohio (1.6×), Maryland (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Kentucky, Oregon, Nevada.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Keith: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Keith, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Keith · Sibling names for Keith
Questions about the name Keith
What does Keith mean?
Keith means “wood (Scottish place name)” (Scottish Gaelic, Pictish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Keith?
Keith was the 801st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 311 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 32nd; the most babies were born in 1957 (12,437). Over the last ten years it has moved down 377 places. More babies were named Keith in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Keith a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Keith in the US.
Where is Keith most popular?
In 2021–2025, Keith was most common in Missouri (0.44 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Oklahoma.