NameCensus.

UK surname

Keily

A surname of Irish origin meaning "slender" or "lean."

In the 1881 census there were 92 people recorded with the Keily surname, ranking it #20,709 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 203, ranked #19,396, up from #20,709 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) and Paddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Staffordshire Moorlands, Derby and Plymouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Keily is 221 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 120.7%.

1881 census count

92

Ranked #20,709

Modern count

203

2016, ranked #19,396

Peak year

2000

221 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Keily had 92 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,709 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 203 in 2016, ranked #19,396.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 118 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Keily surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Keily surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Keily 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 95 #17,707
1861 historical 73 #24,492
1881 historical 92 #20,709
1891 historical 74 #27,538
1901 historical 108 #21,836
1911 historical 118 #20,649
1997 modern 191 #18,150
1998 modern 214 #17,366
1999 modern 219 #17,203
2000 modern 221 #17,089
2001 modern 211 #17,376
2002 modern 209 #17,803
2003 modern 189 #18,738
2004 modern 201 #18,168
2005 modern 194 #18,512
2006 modern 196 #18,512
2007 modern 201 #18,428
2008 modern 199 #18,699
2009 modern 215 #18,179
2010 modern 221 #18,205
2011 modern 210 #18,677
2012 modern 203 #19,025
2013 modern 194 #19,932
2014 modern 195 #20,036
2015 modern 198 #19,714
2016 modern 203 #19,396

Geography

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Where Keilys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841), Paddington and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Staffordshire Moorlands, Derby and Plymouth. 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 Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) Devon
3 Paddington London (West Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Staffordshire Moorlands 003 Staffordshire Moorlands
2 Derby 003 Derby
3 Staffordshire Moorlands 004 Staffordshire Moorlands
4 Derby 006 Derby
5 Plymouth 021 Plymouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Keily

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Keily

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Keily is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Keily 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

Keily falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Keily 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Keily

The surname Keily originated from the medieval Gaelic O'Cadhla sept in Ireland. It is derived from the old Irish words 'cadha' meaning chaste or pure, and 'ile' meaning region or territory. The name was initially found in County Cork and Tipperary.

In ancient Irish records, the name appeared as O'Cadhla, O'Keely, and O'Keily. One of the earliest recorded references is from the Irish Annals of Innisfallen in 1171, which mentions the death of Maelmuire O'Cadhla, a notable figure from County Cork.

The surname Keily can trace its roots back to the 12th century. The Pipe Roll of Cloyne from 1364 lists several bearers including William O'Keely and John O'Keely, both from the town of Cloyne in County Cork.

In the 16th century, the name was anglicized to Keily and Keely during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. A notable bearer from this period was Edmund Keily, born in 1534 in Tipperary, who served as a judge and was involved in the Battle of Kinsale in 1601.

Other historical figures include Patrick Keily, born in 1681 in Cork, who was a renowned Catholic priest and author. In the 18th century, Denis Keily, born in 1717 in Tipperary, was a respected mathematician and surveyor.

Moving into the 19th century, John Keily, born in 1805 in Cork, was a prominent Irish nationalist and member of the Young Ireland movement. Another notable bearer was the artist and writer Mary Keily, born in 1859 in County Kerry, who illustrated books on Irish folklore.

Throughout its history, the surname Keily maintained strong ties to its Irish roots and Gaelic heritage. While variations in spelling occurred, the name's origins can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic septs of medieval Ireland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Keily families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Keily 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 29 Keilys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.34x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 29 3.34x
Northumberland 9 6.97x
Lancashire 8 0.78x
Devon 7 3.87x
Gloucestershire 6 3.52x
Glamorgan 5 3.31x
Kent 5 1.69x
Brecknockshire 4 23.04x
Somerset 3 2.15x
Surrey 3 0.71x
Dorset 2 3.51x
Lanarkshire 2 0.71x
Worcestershire 2 1.76x
Cheshire 1 0.52x
Monmouthshire 1 1.59x
Royal Navy 1 9.67x
Sussex 1 0.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kensington London in Middlesex leads with 12 Keilys recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.87x.

Place Total Index
Kensington London 12 24.87x
Exeter St Martin 6 10000.00x
Stapleton 6 185.76x
Ashton In Makerfield 5 170.65x
Benwell 5 354.61x
Swansea Town 5 40.36x
Brecknock St John 4 273.97x
Elswick 4 38.80x
Lewisham 4 25.33x
St Anne Soho London 4 80.65x
Bedminster 3 22.85x
Ealing 3 38.66x
Westminster St James 3 33.63x
Bredon 2 512.82x
Camberwell 2 3.61x
Govan 2 2.88x
Hackney London 2 4.11x
New Brentford 2 434.78x
Oldham 2 6.02x
St Pancras London 2 2.86x
Bradford Abbas 1 666.67x
Broadwater 1 29.76x
Islington London 1 1.19x
Kermincham 1 2000.00x
Liverpool 1 1.60x
Marnhull 1 243.90x
Minster In Sheppey 1 20.37x
Newington 1 3.12x
Newport 1 33.44x
Newton Abbot St Mary 1 65.79x
Royal Navy 1 11.31x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Catherine 4
Agnes 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Augs. 1
Barbara 1
Ellen 1
Eva 1
Gertrude 1
H.S. 1
Harriet 1
Helena 1
Jane 1
Joanna 1
Johanna 1
Kate 1
Lizzie 1
Lucy 1
M.P. 1
Maria 1
Marian 1
Minnie 1
Nora 1
Rosannah 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Keily surname: questions and answers

How common was the Keily surname in 1881?

In 1881, 92 people were recorded with the Keily surname. That placed it at #20,709 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Keily surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 203 in 2016. That gives Keily a modern rank of #19,396.

What does the Keily surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin meaning "slender" or "lean."

What does the Keily map show?

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