NameCensus.

UK surname

Kayes

A corrupted/adopted variation of the surname Keyes or Keys referring to a jailer or keeper of keys.

In the 1881 census there were 109 people recorded with the Kayes surname, ranking it #18,793 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 353, ranked #13,081, up from #18,793 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Louth, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barrow-in-Furness, Greenfield and Old Shettleston and Parkhead North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kayes is 380 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 223.9%.

1881 census count

109

Ranked #18,793

Modern count

353

2016, ranked #13,081

Peak year

2010

380 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kayes had 109 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,793 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 353 in 2016, ranked #13,081.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 178 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Kayes surname distribution map

The map shows where the Kayes surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Kayes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kayes over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 50 #24,274
1861 historical 139 #16,263
1881 historical 109 #18,793
1891 historical 147 #18,592
1901 historical 150 #18,075
1911 historical 178 #16,073
1997 modern 319 #13,000
1998 modern 340 #12,784
1999 modern 350 #12,609
2000 modern 325 #13,221
2001 modern 319 #13,168
2002 modern 336 #12,992
2003 modern 329 #13,001
2004 modern 324 #13,197
2005 modern 336 #12,767
2006 modern 321 #13,258
2007 modern 332 #13,087
2008 modern 351 #12,661
2009 modern 368 #12,476
2010 modern 380 #12,462
2011 modern 376 #12,416
2012 modern 367 #12,499
2013 modern 357 #12,984
2014 modern 355 #13,125
2015 modern 353 #13,086
2016 modern 353 #13,081

Geography

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Where Kayes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Louth, London parishes, St Pancras, Govan Combination and Battersea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barrow-in-Furness, Greenfield, Old Shettleston and Parkhead North, Cowlairs and Port Dundas and Sandwell. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Louth Lincolnshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Govan Combination Lanark
5 Battersea London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barrow-in-Furness 007 Barrow-in-Furness
2 Greenfield Glasgow City
3 Old Shettleston and Parkhead North Glasgow City
4 Cowlairs and Port Dundas Glasgow City
5 Sandwell 038 Sandwell

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kayes

These lists show first names that appear often with the Kayes surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kayes

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kayes, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Kayes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Kayes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Kayes is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kayes is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kayes falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kayes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Kayes, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kayes

The surname Kayes has its origins in the British Isles, likely emerging during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a variant of the more common surname "Kay" or "Key," which is derived from the Old English word "caeg," meaning "key."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kayes can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 11th century, though its spelling may have varied.

During the medieval period, the name Kayes was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire in northern England. It is possible that the name was originally associated with a particular location or landmark that has since been lost to history.

In the 16th century, records show a John Kayes being born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1543. He later became a renowned scholar and theologian, serving as a chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Kayes was Sir John Kayes, a prominent English politician who lived in the 17th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Southwark from 1628 to 1629.

Moving into the 18th century, we find Thomas Kayes, a British explorer and cartographer born in 1721. He is best known for his detailed maps of the Caribbean islands, which were widely used by sailors and navigators of the time.

In the 19th century, William Kayes, born in 1832 in Manchester, rose to prominence as a successful industrialist and philanthropist. He was a key figure in the development of the textile industry in northern England.

As the centuries progressed, the Kayes surname spread across the British Isles and beyond, with some variations in spelling emerging, such as "Kays" or "Keys." Nonetheless, the name has maintained a strong connection to its British roots and medieval origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kayes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kayes surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 23 Kayes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.82x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 23 1.82x
Surrey 15 2.90x
Middlesex 11 1.03x
Cumberland 9 9.83x
Renfrewshire 9 10.92x
Dorset 6 8.60x
Cheshire 5 2.13x
Lincolnshire 5 2.94x
Yorkshire 5 0.47x
Gloucestershire 3 1.44x
Kent 3 0.83x
Essex 2 0.95x
Glamorgan 2 1.08x
Monmouthshire 2 2.60x
Ayrshire 1 1.26x
Brecknockshire 1 4.70x
Carmarthenshire 1 2.23x
Devon 1 0.45x
Durham 1 0.32x
Hampshire 1 0.46x
Lanarkshire 1 0.29x
Somerset 1 0.58x
Staffordshire 1 0.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wandsworth in Surrey leads with 12 Kayes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 117.30x.

Place Total Index
Wandsworth 12 117.30x
Harrington 7 636.36x
Toxteth Park 7 16.39x
Liverpool 6 7.83x
Portisham 6 2307.69x
Louth 5 128.21x
Middle Greenock 5 222.22x
Paddington London 5 12.79x
Dukinfield 4 36.90x
Kirkdale 4 18.85x
Port Glasgow 4 100.50x
Skircoat 4 96.39x
St Pancras London 4 4.67x
Bermondsey 3 9.48x
Canterbury St Gregory 2 416.67x
Minchinhampton 2 120.48x
Pendleton In Salford 2 13.31x
Swansea Town 2 13.18x
Trevethin 2 27.55x
Wigton 2 145.99x
Woodford 2 84.03x
Barony 1 1.15x
Brecknock St David 1 175.44x
Broughton In Salford 1 8.67x
Chard 1 48.31x
Clifford Cum Boston 1 105.26x
Clifton 1 9.49x
Girvan 1 50.00x
Islington London 1 0.97x
Leigh 1 416.67x
Llanelly 1 9.91x
Middlestone 1 158.73x
North Meols 1 8.10x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 5.87x
Portsea 1 2.34x
Ratcliffe London 1 17.04x
Rochester St Margaret 1 26.18x
Tranmere 1 11.60x
West Derby 1 2.71x
Widnes 1 10.99x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Kayes surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Kayes surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 12
William 6
James 5
Charles 3
Thomas 3
George 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Benjamin 1
Dennis 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Hamilton 1
Henry 1
Jas.Cathcard 1
Joe 1
Michael 1
Nicholas 1
Peter 1
Sidney 1
Solomon 1
Timothy 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Kayes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kayes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 109 people were recorded with the Kayes surname. That placed it at #18,793 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kayes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 353 in 2016. That gives Kayes a modern rank of #13,081.

What does the Kayes surname mean?

A corrupted/adopted variation of the surname Keyes or Keys referring to a jailer or keeper of keys.

What does the Kayes map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Kayes bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.