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.
- #76 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #801 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 437,907
- born since 1888
- 1960s
- peak decade
437,907 babies have been named Keith since 1888, making it today's #801 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Keith has been recorded 437,907 times among boys since 1888, currently ranked #801 nationally and more common than 94% 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.
- #76 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #801 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 437,907 born since 1888
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Keith ranks #76 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #801 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 437,907 born since 1888, peaking in the 1960s.
- #76 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #801 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 437,907
- born since 1888
- 1960s
- peak decade
Keith's 437,907 recorded births place it above 99.83% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Keith compares
437,907 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 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 1,187x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Keith | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 437,907 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 12,437 | 34 | 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 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
1960s is the heaviest window (112,575 births, 26% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Keith sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Keith most popular? ▼
Where is Keith most popular? ▼
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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
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
Compare Keith side by side: Keith vs Keion Keith vs Keilan Keith vs Keifer
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Keith
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Keith: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1957)
Similar record span (~137 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.