boys' name ★ peaked 1957

Keith

Meaning Keith is a masculine given name of Gaelic origin Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #801 Trend ↓ Falling 31%

Keith is a masculine given name of Gaelic origin.

Rank 2025
#801
among boys · ↓45 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
311
named Keith · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,492
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1957
12,483 babies
All-time total
440,123
#76 all-time among boys
First recorded
1888
in Social Security records

Keith popularity over time

440,123 babies have been named Keith since 1888, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 12 12 1 – #931
1890s – 86 86 9 +617% #532
1900s 5 284 289 29 +236% #318
1910s 31 3,424 3,455 346 +1096% #194
1920s 115 10,915 11,030 1,103 +219% #138
1930s 94 13,867 13,961 1,396 +27% #117
1940s 123 25,871 25,994 2,599 +86% #85
1950s 311 91,235 91,546 9,155 +252% #36
1960s 535 112,575 113,110 11,311 +24% #32
1970s 470 76,689 77,159 7,716 -32% #37
1980s 399 52,647 53,046 5,305 -31% #56
1990s 94 28,370 28,464 2,846 -46% #80
2000s 39 12,512 12,551 1,255 -56% #222
2010s – 7,086 7,086 709 -44% #346
2020s (to 2025) – 2,334 2,334 389 -45% #592

Where Keith is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 291 0.17 outside top 500
2027 275 0.16 outside top 500
2028 262 0.15 outside top 500
2029 252 0.15 outside top 500
2030 243 0.14 outside top 500

Where Keith is most popular

Boys named Keith per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.217 per 1,000. Strongest in Missouri, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Keith born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Missouri 61 0.440 +103%
Louisiana 43 0.420 +94%
Oklahoma 35 0.396 +82%
Ohio 92 0.347 +60%
Maryland 41 0.344 +59%
Michigan 69 0.337 +55%
Indiana 54 0.337 +55%
Virginia 62 0.327 +51%
Georgia 82 0.324 +49%
Pennsylvania 85 0.320 +48%
South Carolina 33 0.319 +47%
Florida 147 0.310 +43%
Utah 29 0.304 +40%
North Carolina 75 0.294 +35%
Idaho 11 0.269 +24%
Arkansas 17 0.269 +24%
Wisconsin 30 0.253 +17%
Kansas 16 0.233 +8%
Iowa 15 0.218 ≈ national
New York 94 0.217 ≈ national
Tennessee 39 0.216 ≈ national
Minnesota 25 0.204 -6%
Arizona 31 0.189 -13%
New Jersey 37 0.184 -15%
Illinois 46 0.180 -17%
Alabama 19 0.174 -20%
Colorado 21 0.163 -25%
Texas 141 0.160 -26%
Massachusetts 22 0.160 -26%
Mississippi 8 0.141 -35%
California 125 0.137 -37%
Washington 18 0.110 -49%
Nevada 5 0.088 -60%
Oregon 5 0.066 -70%
Kentucky 6 0.060 -72%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Keith

Keith is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #801 in 2025 with 311 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1888, 440,123 American babies have been named Keith. Its peak came in 1957, when 12,483 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Keith stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Keith?

The median living Keith is about 56 years old; half are between 43 and 65. An estimated 349 thousand people named Keith are alive in the United States today.

median 56 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Keith year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 311 #801
2024 – – 337 #756
2023 – – 373 #713
2022 – – 382 #694
2021 – – 470 #592
2020 – – 461 #598
2019 – – 512 #550
2018 – – 571 #503
2017 – – 587 #493
2016 – – 634 #485
2015 – – 729 #424
2014 – – 754 #412
2013 – – 761 #393
2012 – – 842 #362
2011 – – 806 #368
2010 – – 890 #346
2009 – – 967 #329
2008 – – 1,061 #315
2007 8 #13,306 1,158 #298
2006 – – 1,250 #276
2005 – – 1,165 #285
2004 8 #12,190 1,315 #252
2003 8 #11,871 1,313 #251
2002 6 #14,518 1,326 #248
2001 – – 1,432 #237
2000 9 #10,321 1,525 #222
1995 5 #14,538 2,457 #142
1990 23 #4,309 4,481 #80
1985 45 #2,269 5,214 #64
1980 40 #2,408 5,887 #56
1975 34 #2,381 6,823 #49
1970 58 #1,625 9,615 #38
1965 43 #1,727 10,670 #35
1960 45 #1,684 12,180 #35
1955 32 #1,895 10,418 #39
1950 20 #2,217 4,566 #78
1945 7 #3,839 2,165 #108
1940 6 #4,103 1,512 #125
1935 – – 1,369 #125
1930 16 #2,157 1,354 #130
1925 18 #2,154 1,138 #146
1920 11 #3,001 803 #175
1915 – – 422 #236
1910 – – 43 #411
1905 – – 35 #350
1900 5 #2,075 16 #638
1895 – – 6 #1,031
1890 – – 7 #848
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Keith

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Keith Carradine Keith Carradine American actor (born 1949) Contemporary
  2. 2 Keith Urban Keith Urban Australian and American musician (born 1967) Contemporary
  3. 3 Keith David Keith David American actor (born 1956) Contemporary
  4. 4 Keith Richards Keith Richards English guitarist and songwriter (born 1943) Contemporary
  5. 5 Keith Flint Keith Flint English dancer and singer (1969–2019) Contemporary
  6. 6 Keith Haring Keith Haring American artist and social activist (1958–1990) Contemporary
  7. 7 Keith Allen Keith Allen Welsh actor (born 1953) Contemporary
  8. 8 Keith Olbermann Keith Olbermann American sports and political commentator (born 1959) Contemporary
  9. 9 Keith Ellison Keith Ellison American politician (born 1963) Contemporary
  10. 10 Keith Emerson Keith Emerson English keyboardist, songwriter, and composer (1944–2016) Contemporary
  11. 11 Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett American pianist and composer (born 1945) Contemporary
  12. 12 Keith Gordon American actor and director b. 1961 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Keith Van Horn Keith Van Horn American basketball player (born 1975) Contemporary
  14. 14 Keith Szarabajka Keith Szarabajka American actor b. 1952 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Keith Ferguson Keith Ferguson American voice actor b. 1972 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Keith Michell Keith Michell Australian-British actor (1926–2015) Contemporary
  17. 17 Keith Park Keith Park New Zealand soldier, aviator and former Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal (1892–1975) 19th century
  18. 18 Keith Andes Keith Andes American actor (1920–2005) Contemporary
  19. 19 Keith Vaz Keith Vaz Former British Labour MP b. 1956 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Keith O'Brien Keith O'Brien Scottish Catholic cardinal (1938–2018) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Keith, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Keith?

The median living Keith is about 56 years old. Half of all living Keiths are between 43 and 65 years old.

How many people named Keith are alive today?

An estimated 349 thousand people named Keith are alive in the United States, based on 440,123 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Keith mean?

Keith is a masculine given name of Gaelic origin.

How popular is the name Keith in 2025?

Keith ranked #801 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 311 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Keith?

440,123 babies have been named Keith in the United States since 1888, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Keith most popular?

Keith peaked in 1957, when 12,483 newborns received the name.

Is Keith a boy or girl name?

Keith is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Keith rising or falling?

Keith is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Keith become more popular?

Keith is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 243 boys named Keith in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Keith?

Well-known people named Keith include Keith Carradine (actor), Keith Urban (singer), Keith David (actor).

Names like Keith

Names that sound and feel close to Keith: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Keith with similar names → More names starting with K →