UK girl's name
Keighley
A feminine name derived from the town name Keighley in Yorkshire, England.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2010. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Keighley is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Keighley popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2010 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5707, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 16 births.
This profile covers 105 England and Wales registrations across 13 recorded years from 1996 to 2010. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 19% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 142 living people in the UK are called Keighley. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2011 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Keighley ranked #5707 for girls in England and Wales in 2010, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 16 girls were registered as Keighley.
- • Keighley ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #547 in 1993.
- • About 142 living people in the UK are estimated to have Keighley as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5707
2010
Births in 2010
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
16 births
Estimated living
142
2026
Meaning
What does Keighley mean?
The name Keighley originates from the Old English language and is derived from the words "ceg" meaning key and "leah" meaning meadow or clearing. It is believed to have originated in the 7th or 8th century AD in the area that is now known as West Yorkshire, England.
The name Keighley is closely associated with the town of Keighley, which is located in the Yorkshire Dales region of England. The town's name is thought to have been derived from the same Old English words as the personal name, and it is likely that the name Keighley was originally a place name before becoming a given name.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Keighley can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England that was commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In the Domesday Book, the town of Keighley is mentioned as "Chichelai," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the name.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Keighley. One of the most famous was Keighley Peregrine Truscott (1887-1951), a British army officer who served in both World War I and World War II. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honor in the British armed forces, for his actions during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Another notable bearer of the name was Keighley Greengrass (1920-2003), a British actress who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career. She was best known for her roles in the Carry On films of the 1960s and 1970s.
In the realm of literature, Keighley Snowden (1858-1923) was a British writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of his most famous works was the novel "The Web of Circumstance," which was published in 1901.
The name Keighley has also been associated with the world of sports. Keighley Pemberton (1894-1970) was a British tennis player who competed in the early 20th century. He participated in the Wimbledon Championships on several occasions and was known for his powerful serve.
Finally, in the field of music, Keighley Wilkinson (1932-2018) was a British composer and conductor who was known for his work in film and television scores. He composed the music for numerous popular British television shows, including "The Avengers" and "The Prisoner."
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Keighley over time
The chart below shows babies named Keighley registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2010. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Keighley, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2010, compared with 16 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keighley by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Keighley was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5707 | 3 | 1 |
| 2000s | #2489 | 61 | 8 |
| 1990s | #1763 | 41 | 4 |
Geography
Where Keighley is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Keighley. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Keighley ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #547 in 1993.
Across the UK
Keighley in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#547 in 1993
4 years of NRS records, 38 total registered
Related
Names similar to Keighley
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Keighley: questions and answers
How popular is the name Keighley in the UK right now?
In 2010, Keighley was ranked #5707 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Keighley most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 16 babies registered as Keighley in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Keighley?
A feminine name derived from the town name Keighley in Yorkshire, England.
How many people are called Keighley in the UK?
A total of 105 babies have been registered as Keighley across the 13 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 38 more in Scotland.
Where is Keighley most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Keighley ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #547 in 1993. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.