Total births
437,907
Boys' name · since 1888
Keith
437,907 babies named Keith in U.S. Social Security records since 1888, with the highest year being 1957. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #756
- among boys today
- 437,907
- born since 1888
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other boys
437,907 babies have been named Keith since 1888, making it today's #756 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Keith has been recorded 437,907 times among boys since 1888, currently ranked #756 nationally and more common than 95% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1888 to 2025.
- #756 among boys today
- 437,907 born since 1888
- 1960s peak decade
- 95% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Keith is currently the #756 boys' name in America, more common than 95% of boys - 437,907 born since 1888, peaking in the 1960s.
- #756
- among boys today
- 437,907
- born since 1888
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other boys
Keith vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#756
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 95% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Keith was born in this single decade.
1957
Single peak year
12,437 babies were named Keith in 1957 - its busiest year on record.
How Keith compares
437,907 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Keith's all-time total is 1,193x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Keith | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 437,907 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 12,437 | 23 | 22,252 |
Keith's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Keith splits its recorded history at 1957: 75% of all births land in the more recent half, 25% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1888 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1957 peak of 12,437 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Keith at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1957
Current rank
#756
Active since
1888
Keith popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1888–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 12,437
- Annual births at peak, across 138 years of records
Keith popularity over time - girls
2,216 total births recorded since 1900 (Keith as girls' name)
Keith by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Keith's strongest decade.
112,575 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Keith births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 12
1880s
12 births
- 1890s 86
1890s
86 births
- 1900s 284
1900s
284 births
- 1910s 3,424
1910s
3,424 births
- 1920s 10,915
1920s
10,915 births
- 1930s 13,867
1930s
13,867 births
- 1940s 25,871
1940s
25,871 births
- 1950s
1950s
91,235 births
- 1960s
1960s
112,575 births
- 1970s
1970s
76,689 births
- 1980s
1980s
52,647 births
- 1990s 28,370
1990s
28,370 births
- 2000s 12,512
2000s
12,512 births
- 2010s 7,086
2010s
7,086 births
- 2020s 2,334
2020s
2,334 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 112,575 births (26% of all-time use).
How Keith compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Keith's total volume
Keith vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Keith by state
Where Keith concentrates geographically, total births since 1888
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 35,133 | 8.0% |
| #2 | California | | 32,187 | 7.4% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 27,628 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 25,753 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 25,508 | 5.8% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 24,009 | 5.5% |
| #7 | Texas | | 19,170 | 4.4% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 15,039 | 3.4% |
New York share of Keith's total US births 8.0%
Even split
35,133 of 437,907 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Keith appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Keith? ▼
Since 1888, Social Security records show 437,907 babies named Keith. Today it holds rank #756 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1957, with 12,437 births.
When was Keith most popular? ▼
Keith was most popular in the 1960s decade with 112,575 total births. The single peak year was 1957.
Where is Keith most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Keith are New York (35,133 births), California (32,187 births), Pennsylvania (27,628 births).
How long has the name Keith been used? ▼
Records for Keith go back to 1888, giving 138 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Keith? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Keion, Keilan, Keifer, Keir, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Keith's data
- Keith's decade-level peak was the 1960s (112,575 total births); usage has since declined to 2,334 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Keiths (35,133 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Keith
Nearby Names Like Keith
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Keith
Keion Boy
#2936 2,859 births
Keilan Boy
#3565 1,325 births
Keifer Boy
1,155 births
Keir Boy
#6549 1,053 births
Keiran Boy
#5142 1,043 births
Compare Keith side by side: Keith vs Keion Keith vs Keilan Keith vs Keifer
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Keith
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1888–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Keith: #756 Boys' Name - 437,907 Births, Peak 1957." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/keith. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Keith draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.