2000
#6,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.87
Rare Last name
Keil
Derived from the German word "keil," meaning wedge or bolt, likely referring to an ancestor's occupation or characteristic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,706 Americans carry the last name Keil. That puts it at #6,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,069 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keil surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Keil with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,069
Census rank
#6,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,976 bearers of the surname Keil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keil, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keil
The surname Keil is of German origin, derived from the German word "Keil," which means "wedge" or "chisel." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked as a woodworker, carpenter, or mason, using wedges or chisels as part of their trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Keil can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around the Rhine River and in Saxony. The name is mentioned in several historical records from this period, including medieval tax rolls and guild records.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Keil was Johannes Keil, a stonemason who lived in the town of Erfurt, Thuringia, in the late 13th century. Records show that he was involved in the construction of the famous Erfurt Cathedral, which began in 1277.
In the 15th century, the surname Keil appeared in the town of Nürnberg (Nuremberg), where a family of artisans and craftsmen bearing this name became prominent. Hanns Keil, a notable woodcarver and sculptor, was born in Nürnberg around 1460 and created several intricate works of art for local churches and nobility.
Another notable figure with the surname Keil was Johann Keil, a German astronomer and mathematician born in Gundelsheim, Württemberg, in 1571. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and published several influential works on celestial mechanics.
During the 17th century, the Keil surname spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Scandinavia, as a result of migration and trade. One notable Dutch bearer of this name was Jacobus Keil, a wealthy merchant and ship owner from Amsterdam, who lived from 1635 to 1701.
In the 19th century, the surname Keil became more widespread in the United States due to German immigration. One prominent American with this name was Charles Keil, a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, who was born in Germany in 1826 and later settled in Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the surname Keil has been associated with various professions, including woodworking, masonry, astronomy, and military service, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keil
Among Census respondents with the surname Keil, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Keil bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Keil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 4,410
- Two or more races3.6% · 181
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 167
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 112
- Black or African American1.8% · 88
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keil
Keil appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,603
+1,561 bearers (+31.0%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Up 962 places
2020
#6,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,976
-1,627 bearers (-24.6%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 1,271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,240 | 5,042 | 1.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,278 | 6,603 | 2.24 | +1,561 bearers (+31.0%) | Up 962 places |
| 2020 | #6,549 | 4,976 | 1.66 | -1,627 bearers (-24.6%) | Down 1,271 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Keil surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,278 | #6,549 | -24.1% |
| Count | 6,603 | 4,976 | -24.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.24 | 1.66 | -25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keil bearers went from 6,603 to 4,976 (-24.6% change). The surname moved down 1,271 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,278 to #6,549.
FAQ
Keil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keil?
Name Census estimates that about 5,706 living Americans carry the surname Keil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,069 residents.
How common is Keil?
Keil ranks #6,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,976 people with the surname Keil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,706), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Keil.
Has Keil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keil went from 6,603 recorded bearers to 4,976. That is a decrease of 1,627 (-24.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,278 to #6,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Keil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keil, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Keil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (4,410 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Keil (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Keil mean?
Derived from the German word "keil," meaning wedge or bolt, likely referring to an ancestor's occupation or characteristic. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Keil (1.66 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Keil?
You can see how many people have the last name Keil on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.