NameCensus.

UK surname

Keen

A surname of Irish and English origin, referring to a brave or wise person.

In the 1881 census there were 6,012 people recorded with the Keen surname, ranking it #732 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,531, ranked #773, down from #732 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Chichester and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Keen is 8,923 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.9%.

1881 census count

6,012

Ranked #732

Modern count

8,531

2016, ranked #773

Peak year

1999

8,923 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Keen had 6,012 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #732 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,531 in 2016, ranked #773.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,536 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Keen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Keen surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Keen 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 3,713 #764
1861 historical 3,216 #894
1881 historical 6,012 #732
1891 historical 6,373 #727
1901 historical 7,925 #676
1911 historical 8,536 #575
1997 modern 8,424 #757
1998 modern 8,903 #739
1999 modern 8,923 #745
2000 modern 8,765 #752
2001 modern 8,590 #751
2002 modern 8,704 #758
2003 modern 8,489 #759
2004 modern 8,558 #751
2005 modern 8,323 #761
2006 modern 8,299 #768
2007 modern 8,332 #772
2008 modern 8,376 #771
2009 modern 8,606 #770
2010 modern 8,788 #771
2011 modern 8,651 #772
2012 modern 8,472 #772
2013 modern 8,660 #769
2014 modern 8,735 #770
2015 modern 8,612 #770
2016 modern 8,531 #773

Geography

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Where Keens are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Chichester, Northumberland and Torridge. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 St Marylebone London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 012 Wiltshire
2 Chichester 008 Chichester
3 Northumberland 037 Northumberland
4 Torridge 004 Torridge
5 Northumberland 008 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Keen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Keen

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Keen is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Keen is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Keen falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Keen

The surname Keen is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "cene" meaning "bold" or "brave". It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone with a fierce or courageous disposition.

The name can be traced back to the 12th century, with early recordings found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a Thomas Kene is mentioned. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also list an entry for a John le Kene in Oxfordshire.

Keen is a variant spelling of the surname Keene, which was particularly prevalent in the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The name is associated with the village of Keene in Wiltshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Cane".

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir John Keene, a Knight of the Shire for Wiltshire, who was born around 1340. Another notable figure was Sir Benjamin Keene, an English diplomat who served as the British Ambassador to Spain from 1717 to 1727.

In the 17th century, the Keen surname can be found in various parish records across England. For example, a William Keen was baptized in 1621 in Warminster, Wiltshire, while a John Keen was married in 1650 in Malmesbury, also in Wiltshire.

Other historical figures with the Keen surname include Edmund Keen (1563-1633), an English clergyman and author, and Edmund Keen (1887-1972), an American historian and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

The name has also been carried by several notable military figures, such as Sir Benjamin Keen (1768-1843), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars, and General Thomas W. Keen (1842-1924), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Keen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Keen 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. Middlesex leads with 992 Keens recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.69x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 992 1.69x
Surrey 621 2.18x
Buckinghamshire 610 17.24x
Oxfordshire 342 9.46x
Gloucestershire 297 2.59x
Staffordshire 297 1.50x
Kent 295 1.48x
Lancashire 270 0.39x
Warwickshire 260 1.76x
Wiltshire 177 3.42x
Northumberland 166 1.91x
Yorkshire 150 0.26x
Somerset 141 1.50x
Devon 128 1.05x
Worcestershire 124 1.62x
Hertfordshire 123 3.05x
Essex 110 0.95x
Berkshire 106 2.41x
Durham 87 0.50x
Sussex 71 0.72x
Leicestershire 69 1.06x
Suffolk 67 0.94x
Cheshire 63 0.49x
Cornwall 56 0.85x
Hampshire 51 0.43x
Bedfordshire 37 1.22x
Glamorgan 32 0.31x
Nottinghamshire 29 0.37x
Norfolk 22 0.24x
Derbyshire 21 0.23x
Northamptonshire 19 0.35x
Lincolnshire 18 0.19x
Midlothian 14 0.18x
Angus 13 0.24x
Aberdeenshire 12 0.22x
Cumberland 12 0.24x
Dumfriesshire 12 0.93x
Monmouthshire 12 0.28x
Lanarkshire 11 0.06x
Herefordshire 8 0.33x
Selkirkshire 8 1.51x
Clackmannanshire 7 1.45x
Fife 5 0.14x
Ayrshire 4 0.09x
Royal Navy 4 0.57x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.13x
Denbighshire 3 0.14x
Rutland 3 0.70x
Stirlingshire 3 0.14x
Berwickshire 2 0.28x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.05x
Dorset 2 0.05x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.13x
Radnorshire 2 0.42x
Channel Islands 1 0.06x
Flintshire 1 0.06x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.09x
Renfrewshire 1 0.02x
Shropshire 1 0.02x
Westmorland 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 118 Keens recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.08x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 118 2.08x
Lambeth 111 2.17x
St Pancras London 100 2.12x
St Marylebone London 83 2.66x
Birmingham 81 1.65x
Stewkley 78 289.64x
Wycombe 59 22.36x
Hackney London 55 1.68x
Hammersmith London 54 3.74x
Aston Clinton 52 173.33x
North Meols 52 7.65x
Kensington London 48 1.47x
Bermondsey 47 2.70x
Battersea 45 2.09x
Camberwell 44 1.18x
West Wycombe 44 91.65x
Hemel Hempstead 43 23.65x
Kingham 41 331.18x
Aston 39 0.96x
Dinton 39 280.37x
Chalfont St Giles 38 149.90x
Chipping Campden 38 101.69x
Chelsea London 37 2.10x
Herne 36 40.71x
Sheffield 36 1.95x
Clerkenwell London 35 2.53x
Blockley 34 78.67x
Newington 33 1.53x
Amersham 32 63.77x
Harlington 31 100.45x
Shoreditch London 31 1.22x
Wanborough 31 175.24x
West Ham 30 1.18x
Barrow In Furness 28 2.96x
Bledlow 28 130.60x
Stanford In Vale 28 160.46x
Stoke Lyne 28 251.80x
Alnwick 27 18.03x
Aylesbury 27 17.22x
Melksham 27 30.04x
Newcastle Under Lyme 27 7.72x
Bradford On Avon 26 15.69x
Castle Eden 26 147.31x
Fulham London 25 2.94x
Hillingdon 25 13.39x
Meare 25 88.43x
Croydon 24 1.52x
Ecclesfield 24 5.64x
Fritwell 24 213.52x
Haltwhistle 24 56.79x
Lewisham 24 2.25x
St George Hanover Square 24 2.33x
Godalming 23 12.81x
Harborne 23 3.63x
Leicester St Margaret 23 1.45x
Plumstead 23 3.45x
Stoke Upon Trent 23 1.10x
Broughton Gifford 22 179.15x
Chislet 22 97.52x
Deptford St Paul 22 1.43x
Mile End Old Town London 22 1.77x
Painswick 22 27.09x
Southleigh 22 304.29x
Thursley 22 107.42x
Burbage 21 61.98x
North Curry 21 65.50x
Elstead 20 145.88x
Guildford St Nicholas 20 39.68x
Stow On The Wold 20 78.40x
Tamworth 20 18.93x
West Bromwich 20 1.77x
Kings Norton 19 2.77x
Paddington London 19 0.88x
Plymouth St Andrew 19 2.02x
West Derby 19 0.93x
Chinnor 18 71.91x
Margate St John Baptist 18 4.92x
Streatham 18 4.14x
Witney 18 29.77x
St George Bloomsbury 17 5.06x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 343
Elizabeth 238
Sarah 188
Ann 122
Emma 117
Eliza 116
Alice 107
Jane 106
Ellen 100
Annie 86
Emily 68
Hannah 59
Florence 46
Fanny 45
Charlotte 42
Ada 41
Louisa 41
Martha 38
Harriet 37
Margaret 37
Anne 34
Caroline 32
Lucy 30
Catherine 29
Edith 29
Maria 28
Clara 24
Minnie 24
Esther 23
Kate 22
Harriett 21
Isabella 21
Amy 19
Julia 17
Rose 15
Agnes 14
Amelia 14
Frances 14
Matilda 14
Susan 14
Rebecca 13
Sophia 13
Susannah 13
Anna 12
Rosa 12
Gertrude 11
Lizzie 11
Lydia 11
Bertha 10
Elizth. 10

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 358
John 276
George 218
Thomas 195
James 160
Henry 158
Charles 152
Joseph 102
Alfred 85
Frederick 81
Robert 75
Edward 72
Arthur 64
Albert 58
Harry 49
Walter 46
Richard 45
Samuel 38
Frank 29
Ernest 25
Edwin 21
Herbert 20
Daniel 19
Wm. 19
Stephen 16
Isaac 15
Benjamin 14
Fredk. 13
Fredrick 13
Tom 13
David 12
Edmund 11
Francis 10
Mark 10
Philip 10
Thos. 10
Jesse 9
Matthew 9
Sidney 9
Lewis 8
Chas. 7
Fred 7
Percy 7
Peter 7
Sydney 7
Jno. 6
Cornelius 5
Eli 5
Geo. 5
Reuben 5

FAQ

Keen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Keen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,012 people were recorded with the Keen surname. That placed it at #732 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Keen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,531 in 2016. That gives Keen a modern rank of #773.

What does the Keen surname mean?

A surname of Irish and English origin, referring to a brave or wise person.

What does the Keen map show?

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