NameCensus.

UK surname

Keet

A Dutch surname derived from a small canal or drainage ditch.

In the 1881 census there were 39 people recorded with the Keet surname, ranking it #28,137 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 281, ranked #15,449, up from #28,137 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Newchurch, Poole St James and Paddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Hampshire, Chichester and Arun.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Keet is 285 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 620.5%.

1881 census count

39

Ranked #28,137

Modern count

281

2016, ranked #15,449

Peak year

2011

285 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Keet had 39 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,137 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016, ranked #15,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 112 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Keet surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Keet surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Keet 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 70 #21,020
1861 historical 109 #19,693
1881 historical 39 #28,137
1891 historical 84 #26,229
1901 historical 112 #21,382
1911 historical 105 #22,064
1997 modern 182 #18,693
1998 modern 211 #17,532
1999 modern 198 #18,343
2000 modern 185 #19,118
2001 modern 189 #18,590
2002 modern 199 #18,350
2003 modern 204 #17,909
2004 modern 211 #17,590
2005 modern 241 #16,036
2006 modern 244 #16,011
2007 modern 258 #15,554
2008 modern 249 #16,111
2009 modern 269 #15,589
2010 modern 282 #15,410
2011 modern 285 #15,140
2012 modern 265 #15,862
2013 modern 280 #15,530
2014 modern 277 #15,734
2015 modern 282 #15,417
2016 modern 281 #15,449

Geography

Back to top

Where Keets are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Newchurch, Poole St James, Paddington, Toxteth Park and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Hampshire, Chichester and Arun. 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 Newchurch Hampshire
2 Poole St James Dorset
3 Paddington London (West Districts)
4 Toxteth Park Lancashire
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Hampshire 008 East Hampshire
2 Chichester 012 Chichester
3 Arun 004 Arun
4 East Hampshire 004 East Hampshire
5 Arun 009 Arun

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Keet

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Keet

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Keet is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Keet is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Keet falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Keet

The surname KEET is of Anglo-Saxon origin, tracing its roots back to the regions of England before the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cyt," which referred to a small hut or cottage, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived in or near such dwellings.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KEET surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, including Kete, Kette, and Kett, reflecting the evolution of the English language over time.

During the medieval period, the KEET surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, where several notable individuals bore this name. One such person was Robert Kett, a wealthy landowner and leader of the Kett's Rebellion in 1549, a significant uprising of peasants against the enclosure of common lands.

In the 16th century, the KEET surname gained prominence with the birth of John Keet (c. 1555-1632), an English clergyman and author known for his religious writings. His work, "The Burning Bush Not Consumed," published in 1626, was a notable contribution to the theological discourse of the time.

Moving into the 17th century, the KEET surname continued to be associated with notable figures, such as Sir Thomas Keet (1615-1689), a prominent English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1676.

Another notable bearer of the KEET surname was Benjamin Keet (1774-1847), a British naval officer who rose to the rank of Admiral and served during the Napoleonic Wars. His distinguished military career included participation in several major battles, such as the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

In the 19th century, the KEET surname was carried by individuals like John Keet (1805-1868), a renowned English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes and pastoral landscapes. His works were highly regarded and displayed in many notable galleries throughout Britain.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Keet families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Keet 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 12 Keets recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.66x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 12 2.66x
Middlesex 12 3.15x
Cornwall 3 6.97x
Surrey 3 1.62x
Buckinghamshire 2 8.70x
Kent 2 1.54x
Dorset 1 4.01x
Essex 1 1.33x
Glamorgan 1 1.51x
Northumberland 1 1.77x
Somerset 1 1.63x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Toxteth Park in Lancashire leads with 10 Keets recorded in 1881 and an index of 65.45x.

Place Total Index
Toxteth Park 10 65.45x
Poplar London 6 83.57x
Lambeth 3 9.04x
Aylesbury 2 196.08x
St George Bloomsbury 2 91.74x
St Gluvias Penryn 2 571.43x
Cardiff St John 1 46.30x
Chatham 1 28.01x
Chester St Nicholas 1 2000.00x
Edmonton 1 32.68x
Eltringham 1 1666.67x
Iwerne Courtnay 1 588.24x
Liverpool 1 3.65x
North Cray 1 1250.00x
North Meols 1 22.62x
Padstow 1 344.83x
St Dunstan In West London 1 833.33x
St Marylebone London 1 4.92x
St Pancras London 1 3.27x
Yeovil 1 80.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 2
Maria 2
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
Christiana 1
Edna 1
Emma 1
Georgina 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Mary 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Rosa 1

Top male names

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

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Keet households.

FAQ

Keet surname: questions and answers

How common was the Keet surname in 1881?

In 1881, 39 people were recorded with the Keet surname. That placed it at #28,137 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Keet surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016. That gives Keet a modern rank of #15,449.

What does the Keet surname mean?

A Dutch surname derived from a small canal or drainage ditch.

What does the Keet map show?

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