NameCensus.

UK surname

Keeble

A locational surname derived from places named with the Old English words meaning 'deep' and 'spring'.

In the 1881 census there were 2,057 people recorded with the Keeble surname, ranking it #2,142 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,336, ranked #2,038, up from #2,142 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a and Ipswich St Mary Stoke. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mid Suffolk, Suffolk Coastal and Babergh.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Keeble is 3,594 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 62.2%.

1881 census count

2,057

Ranked #2,142

Modern count

3,336

2016, ranked #2,038

Peak year

1998

3,594 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Keeble had 2,057 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,142 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,336 in 2016, ranked #2,038.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,100 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Keeble surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Keeble surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Keeble 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 1,067 #2,626
1861 historical 776 #3,550
1881 historical 2,057 #2,142
1891 historical 2,152 #2,168
1901 historical 2,826 #1,970
1911 historical 3,100 #1,684
1997 modern 3,503 #1,852
1998 modern 3,594 #1,886
1999 modern 3,583 #1,897
2000 modern 3,550 #1,910
2001 modern 3,500 #1,889
2002 modern 3,565 #1,902
2003 modern 3,482 #1,905
2004 modern 3,481 #1,901
2005 modern 3,371 #1,938
2006 modern 3,353 #1,944
2007 modern 3,322 #1,991
2008 modern 3,322 #2,014
2009 modern 3,376 #2,031
2010 modern 3,445 #2,026
2011 modern 3,368 #2,041
2012 modern 3,353 #2,012
2013 modern 3,414 #2,007
2014 modern 3,397 #2,037
2015 modern 3,332 #2,047
2016 modern 3,336 #2,038

Geography

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Where Keebles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a, Ipswich St Mary Stoke and Lopham, North. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mid Suffolk, Suffolk Coastal, Babergh and Ipswich. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex
4 Ipswich St Mary Stoke Suffolk
5 Lopham, North Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mid Suffolk 007 Mid Suffolk
2 Suffolk Coastal 007 Suffolk Coastal
3 Babergh 009 Babergh
4 Babergh 004 Babergh
5 Ipswich 016 Ipswich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Keeble

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Keeble

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Keeble, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Keeble surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Keeble household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Keeble is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Keeble is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Keeble falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Keeble 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 Keeble, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Keeble

The surname Keeble has its roots in England, originating in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cyfell," which means a small tub or vessel. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who made or sold such containers.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to 1273, when a Thomas Kybel was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire. Similar spellings from this era include Kybbel, Kebbel, and Kybyl. Place names like Kibblestone in Staffordshire and Kibblesworth in Northumberland may have influenced the development of the surname.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the Keeble surname, but several entries for places like Kibworth and Kibblesworth suggest the name's early origins in these areas. The Keeble name is also found in medieval records from counties like Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Warwickshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Keeble include John Keeble (1599-1641), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the chaplain to King Charles I. Samuel Keeble (1630-1700) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire.

Another prominent figure was Samuel Keeble (1604-1668), an English minister and author known for his work "A Cure for Unsettled Times." Thomas Keeble (1671-1719) was a Welsh politician and landowner who served as the High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1700.

In the 17th century, William Keeble (1633-1698) was an English priest and theologian who wrote several religious works, including "A Brief Exposition of the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments."

These examples illustrate the historical presence of the Keeble surname across various parts of England, with individuals making contributions in fields such as religion, politics, and literature over several centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Keeble families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Keeble 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. Suffolk leads with 693 Keebles recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.38x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 693 28.38x
Essex 373 9.43x
Middlesex 275 1.37x
Kent 184 2.69x
Surrey 176 1.80x
Norfolk 95 3.08x
Yorkshire 36 0.18x
Durham 31 0.52x
Lancashire 29 0.12x
Lincolnshire 27 0.84x
Nottinghamshire 23 0.85x
Berkshire 18 1.20x
Sussex 13 0.38x
Staffordshire 12 0.18x
Northumberland 9 0.30x
Hampshire 7 0.17x
Northamptonshire 7 0.37x
Cornwall 6 0.26x
Devon 6 0.14x
Gloucestershire 6 0.15x
Midlothian 5 0.19x
Oxfordshire 5 0.40x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.33x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.36x
Hertfordshire 3 0.22x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.16x
Derbyshire 2 0.06x
Wiltshire 2 0.11x
Channel Islands 1 0.17x
Cheshire 1 0.02x
Glamorgan 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wetheringsett Cum in Suffolk leads with 59 Keebles recorded in 1881 and an index of 830.99x.

Place Total Index
Wetheringsett Cum 59 830.99x
Harwich St Nicholas 39 127.62x
Ipswich St Margaret 38 45.87x
North Lopham 38 791.67x
Maldon St Marys 37 390.30x
Plumstead 32 14.04x
Raydon 30 824.18x
Lambeth 27 1.54x
Mile End Old Town London 27 6.33x
Chislehurst 26 70.88x
Camberwell 25 1.95x
Bramford 24 261.72x
St Marylebone London 24 2.24x
Bow London 23 9.01x
Lavenham 23 180.11x
Woolwich 22 8.71x
St Pancras London 21 1.30x
Bermondsey 20 3.35x
Elmsett 20 675.68x
Fordham 20 414.08x
Hackney London 20 1.78x
Stradbroke 20 242.42x
Stowmarket 19 67.33x
Lewisham 18 4.94x
Newington 18 2.43x
Wickham Market 18 178.39x
Holbrook 17 317.76x
Ipswich St Mathew 17 24.84x
Tuddenham St Martin 17 691.06x
Ipswich St Clement 16 25.78x
Leeds 16 1.43x
Paddington London 16 2.17x
Blaxhall 15 424.93x
Long Melford 15 66.11x
West Ham 15 1.72x
Cratfield 14 411.76x
Great Grimsby 14 6.88x
Baylham 13 340.31x
New Windsor 13 25.70x
Brettenham 12 553.00x
Hammersmith London 12 2.43x
Amblecote 11 57.02x
Bradford 11 2.29x
Colchester St Martin 11 152.14x
Croydon 11 2.03x
Great Tey 11 229.65x
Hacheston 11 369.13x
Heybridge 11 95.57x
Ipswich St Helen 11 38.01x
Islington London 11 0.57x
Kelvedon 11 104.27x
Kersey 11 323.53x
Southfleet 11 173.78x
Ardleigh 10 91.16x
Basford 10 8.03x
Battersea 10 1.36x
Bromeswell 10 694.44x
Little Waltham 10 251.26x
Tendring St Nicolas 10 248.76x
Walton Le Soken 10 106.27x
Bromley London 9 2.04x
Eltham 9 22.46x
Fairlight 9 271.90x
Greenwich 9 2.82x
Hartlepool 9 10.62x
Kensington London 9 0.81x
Kingston On Thames 9 3.84x
Leatherhead 9 36.79x
Polstead 9 157.89x
Semer 9 394.74x
Shoreditch London 9 1.04x
Southwark Christchurch 9 9.58x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 8 17.46x
Colchester St Botolph 8 23.77x
Copford 8 175.82x
Dallinghoo 8 386.47x
Heigham 8 4.84x
Richmond 8 5.85x
Rushmere 8 150.38x
Stutton 8 216.80x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 96
Sarah 74
Elizabeth 53
Eliza 49
Emma 46
Ellen 45
Alice 42
Jane 32
Emily 28
Ann 23
Annie 22
Hannah 21
Florence 20
Harriet 19
Ada 17
Kate 16
Charlotte 15
Martha 15
Edith 13
Harriett 13
Louisa 12
Maria 12
Anna 11
Clara 11
Lucy 11
Matilda 11
Susan 11
Caroline 10
Rebecca 10
Rose 10
Catherine 9
Susannah 9
Julia 8
Sophia 8
Laura 7
Esther 6
Gertrude 6
Jessie 6
Rosa 6
Amy 5
Anne 5
Eleanor 5
Elizth. 5
Florance 5
Frances 5
Margaret 5
Rachel 5
Lydia 4
Adelaide 3
Lousia 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 121
John 80
George 67
Charles 60
James 60
Arthur 39
Henry 39
Walter 39
Alfred 38
Robert 35
Thomas 33
Frederick 29
Harry 29
Edward 19
Ernest 19
Samuel 19
Joseph 18
Albert 13
Francis 13
Herbert 12
Richard 12
Benjamin 10
Thos. 7
David 6
Edwin 6
Geo. 6
Wm. 6
Daniel 5
Edmund 5
Fredk. 5
Sidney 4
Aaron 3
Chas. 3
Edgar 3
Frank 3
Isaac 3
Jonathan 3
Percy 3
Simeon 3
Willm. 3
Abraham 2
Fredrick 2
Horace 2
Jeremiah 2
Leonard 2
Nathaniel 2
Philip 2
Saml. 2
Samual 2
Sydney 2

FAQ

Keeble surname: questions and answers

How common was the Keeble surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,057 people were recorded with the Keeble surname. That placed it at #2,142 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Keeble surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,336 in 2016. That gives Keeble a modern rank of #2,038.

What does the Keeble surname mean?

A locational surname derived from places named with the Old English words meaning 'deep' and 'spring'.

What does the Keeble map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Keeble 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.