Given name & surname · also Celtic
Keith
“man from the forest”
Keith is used as a given name and a surname. One Scottish interpretation is “man from the forest.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Scottish interpretation is “man from the forest.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Scottish and Celtic naming traditions.
How it developed
Probably from Scottish Gaelic Cèith, from Pictish *ᚉᚓᚈ (cēt), from Proto-Brythonic *koɨd.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1888. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Keith through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 440,123
- 437,907 boys · 2,216 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 12,483 babies
- 2025
- 311
- #801 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −32%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 311 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 801 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 32.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 12,437 in 1957. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (28). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 328,988 as a first name in 2020; 45,259 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Keith’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Keith has a diminutive in Kitoy. Keith has a feminine form in Keitha. In Spanish usage, Keith was borrowed from the English form Kate.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Keith has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Celtic roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Keethanvariant
- Keithenvariant
- Keythvariant
- Kiethvariant
- Keathvariant
- Kitoydiminutive · ceb
- Keythenvariant
- Keathenvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Keith
- Rupert MurdochAmerican businessmanborn 1931
- Keith RichardsBritish musician, guitarist of the Rolling Stonesborn 1943
- Keith HaringAmerican artist and social activist (1958-1990)
- Keith JarrettAmerican jazz/classical pianist and composer (born 1945)
- Keith EmersonBritish recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944–2016)
- Keith FlintBritish singer and musician (1969-2019)
- Keith MoonEnglish rock musician, drummer of The Who (1946–1978)
- Keith FergusonAmerican voice actor (born 1972)
- Keith DavidAmerican actorborn 1956
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Keith, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Fraser
“of the forest men”
>99% boys
Kelvin
“a friend of ships; a man of the river”
>99% boys
Kenneth
“born of fire” · “handsome, fair one”
>99% boys
Neil
“the champion”
>99% boys
Kevin
“a beloved and handsome man”
>99% boys
Glen
“from the secluded narrow valley”
>99% boys
Murray
“the lord of the sea”
86% boys · 14% girls
Cary
“from the river” · “from the fort on the hill”
95% boys · 5% girls