NameCensus.

UK surname

Keeling

Derived from the Old English words "cyning" and "leap," referring to someone living near the king's wood or clearing.

In the 1881 census there were 2,610 people recorded with the Keeling surname, ranking it #1,709 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,183, ranked #1,618, up from #1,709 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Alkmund, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Staffordshire Moorlands, Bassetlaw and Ashfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Keeling is 4,418 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 60.3%.

1881 census count

2,610

Ranked #1,709

Modern count

4,183

2016, ranked #1,618

Peak year

2002

4,418 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Keeling had 2,610 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,709 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,183 in 2016, ranked #1,618.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,859 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Keeling surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Keeling surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Keeling 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 1,536 #1,865
1861 historical 1,380 #2,076
1881 historical 2,610 #1,709
1891 historical 2,763 #1,709
1901 historical 3,511 #1,586
1911 historical 3,859 #1,344
1997 modern 3,957 #1,640
1998 modern 4,390 #1,535
1999 modern 4,408 #1,539
2000 modern 4,380 #1,541
2001 modern 4,288 #1,541
2002 modern 4,418 #1,529
2003 modern 4,279 #1,543
2004 modern 4,243 #1,559
2005 modern 4,169 #1,562
2006 modern 4,167 #1,572
2007 modern 4,183 #1,575
2008 modern 4,201 #1,577
2009 modern 4,267 #1,596
2010 modern 4,307 #1,613
2011 modern 4,289 #1,599
2012 modern 4,204 #1,597
2013 modern 4,307 #1,592
2014 modern 4,295 #1,607
2015 modern 4,238 #1,610
2016 modern 4,183 #1,618

Geography

Back to top

Where Keelings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Alkmund, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes and St Werburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Staffordshire Moorlands, Bassetlaw and Ashfield. 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 St Alkmund Derbyshire
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Staffordshire Moorlands 010 Staffordshire Moorlands
2 Staffordshire Moorlands 011 Staffordshire Moorlands
3 Bassetlaw 004 Bassetlaw
4 Ashfield 002 Ashfield
5 Ashfield 003 Ashfield

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Keeling

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Keeling

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Keeling, 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 Keeling surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Keeling 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

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Keeling is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Keeling is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Keeling falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Keeling is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Keeling

The surname Keeling is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the village of Keeling in Yorkshire, which was recorded as "Kelinga" in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "cyl" meaning a spring or stream, and "ing" meaning a meadow or enclosure.

The earliest known bearer of the name was John de Keeling, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. Another early record is that of Roger de Kelyng, who appeared in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1326. The name was also found in various other historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls, Assize Rolls, and the Hundred Rolls.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Keeling family held lands and manors in various parts of Yorkshire, including Rawdon and Calverley. One notable member of the family was William Keeling (c.1585-1665), an English merchant and maritime explorer who served as the first Governor of the East India Company's factory in Bantam, Java.

In the 18th century, John Keeling (1704-1786) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1736.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Ralph Keeling (1762-1834), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was knighted in 1815 for his distinguished service.

In the 19th century, William Keeling (1807-1886) was an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. James the Less in Westminster and the Euston Fire Station.

The Keeling surname has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout England, such as Keeling Hall in Norfolk, Keeling Farm in Cheshire, and Keeling Street in London.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Keeling families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Keeling 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. Staffordshire leads with 661 Keelings recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.68x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 661 7.68x
Derbyshire 309 7.74x
Lancashire 251 0.83x
Yorkshire 181 0.72x
Middlesex 157 0.62x
Essex 144 2.86x
Nottinghamshire 135 3.93x
Surrey 121 0.97x
Warwickshire 105 1.63x
Somerset 87 2.12x
Leicestershire 78 2.76x
Cheshire 69 1.23x
Kent 49 0.56x
Shropshire 40 1.82x
Worcestershire 37 1.11x
Gloucestershire 36 0.72x
Berkshire 17 0.89x
Hampshire 17 0.33x
Sussex 13 0.30x
Hertfordshire 12 0.68x
Bedfordshire 10 0.76x
Lanarkshire 10 0.12x
Monmouthshire 9 0.49x
Lincolnshire 8 0.20x
Herefordshire 7 0.67x
Wiltshire 7 0.31x
Brecknockshire 5 0.98x
Devon 5 0.09x
Dorset 4 0.24x
Glamorgan 4 0.09x
Huntingdonshire 4 0.79x
Cardiganshire 3 0.48x
Cumberland 3 0.14x
Royal Navy 3 0.99x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.19x
Suffolk 2 0.06x
Buteshire 1 0.65x
Channel Islands 1 0.13x
Isle of Man 1 0.21x
Merionethshire 1 0.21x
Midlothian 1 0.03x
Northamptonshire 1 0.04x
Northumberland 1 0.03x
Oxfordshire 1 0.06x
Renfrewshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 162 Keelings recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.75x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 162 17.75x
Derby St Werburgh 44 19.09x
Burslem 41 16.63x
Derby St Alkmund 39 32.60x
Alton 32 345.20x
Birmingham 31 1.45x
Litchurch 29 18.05x
Leicester St Margaret 28 4.06x
Aston 27 1.52x
Wolstanton 27 10.33x
Liverpool 26 1.41x
Birkenhead 24 5.35x
Ilkeston 24 21.44x
Manchester 24 1.76x
Sheffield 24 2.98x
Dudley 23 5.68x
Nottingham St Mary 23 2.59x
Southwark St John 23 29.49x
Cannock 22 14.65x
Sutton In Ashfield 22 29.49x
West Derby 21 2.37x
West Ham 21 1.89x
Newcastle Under Lyme 20 13.13x
Penkridge 20 90.09x
Worksop 20 19.62x
Drayton In Hales 19 41.84x
Newton 19 8.15x
Cheadle 18 43.54x
Clerkenwell London 18 2.99x
Lea Marston 18 674.16x
Staveley 18 25.40x
Timsbury 18 144.69x
Horton In Bradford 17 4.31x
Lambeth 17 0.76x
Loughborough 17 13.25x
Nether Hallam 17 4.97x
Walsall Foreign 17 3.82x
Harborne 16 5.80x
Ipstones 16 129.35x
Islington London 16 0.65x
Radford 16 9.16x
Walton On Hill 16 9.76x
Everton 15 1.56x
Salford 15 1.69x
Shoreditch London 15 1.36x
Ashton Under Lyne 14 2.12x
Handsworth 14 6.60x
Kensington London 14 0.99x
Priston 14 625.00x
Stoke Newington London 14 7.05x
Walcot 14 6.40x
Bulwell 13 17.40x
Kimberworth 13 9.27x
Lydney 13 50.35x
Chesterfield 12 8.02x
Epsom 12 19.82x
Syston 12 45.35x
Barton Under Needwood 11 70.38x
Barton Upon Irwell 11 4.83x
Bermondsey 11 1.45x
Bradford 11 1.80x
Bradwell 11 127.61x
Broughton In Salford 11 3.98x
Camberwell 11 0.68x
East Ham 11 11.78x
Ecclesall Bierlow 11 2.14x
Hayfield 11 44.92x
Parwich 11 268.29x
Rotherhithe 11 3.49x
Tipton 11 4.17x
Wilne 11 120.35x
Barony 10 0.48x
Derby St Peter 10 7.86x
Edgbaston 10 5.02x
Hartington Upper 10 52.49x
High Offley 10 140.85x
Kingsley 10 62.34x
Rugeley 10 16.19x
Wolverhampton 10 1.51x
Colwich 9 43.99x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 176
Sarah 109
Elizabeth 102
Ann 57
Ellen 54
Annie 49
Emma 45
Eliza 43
Hannah 42
Jane 42
Alice 32
Emily 30
Harriet 25
Fanny 24
Louisa 20
Florence 19
Ada 18
Lucy 18
Martha 18
Maria 17
Agnes 16
Clara 16
Edith 16
Caroline 15
Catherine 14
Anne 11
Rose 11
Charlotte 9
Esther 9
Frances 9
Kate 8
Margaret 8
Ruth 8
Amelia 7
Harriett 7
Henrietta 6
Susan 6
Amy 5
Gertrude 5
Julia 5
Lizzie 5
Maud 5
Minnie 5
Bertha 4
Betsy 4
Elizth. 4
Grace 4
Jessie 4
Laura 4
Bridget 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 132
William 131
George 102
Thomas 85
James 83
Joseph 54
Henry 51
Charles 48
Samuel 44
Arthur 42
Frederick 29
Alfred 28
Albert 21
Walter 19
Ernest 18
Richard 17
Francis 16
Frank 14
Herbert 14
Harry 13
Robert 10
Edwin 9
Isaac 9
Edward 8
Benjamin 7
David 7
Sydney 7
Edmund 6
Wm. 6
Aaron 5
Elijah 5
Peter 5
Ralph 5
Abraham 4
Ephraim 4
Fred 4
Hy. 4
Job 4
Stephen 4
Thos. 4
Tom 4
Alexander 3
Chas. 3
Frederic 3
Fredk. 3
Fredrick 3
Gilbert 3
Mathew 3
Sidney 3
Theophilus 3

FAQ

Keeling surname: questions and answers

How common was the Keeling surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,610 people were recorded with the Keeling surname. That placed it at #1,709 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Keeling surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,183 in 2016. That gives Keeling a modern rank of #1,618.

What does the Keeling surname mean?

Derived from the Old English words "cyning" and "leap," referring to someone living near the king's wood or clearing.

What does the Keeling map show?

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