NameCensus.

UK surname

Key

An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of keys, or for a gatekeeper or jailer.

In the 1881 census there were 3,900 people recorded with the Key surname, ranking it #1,166 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,167, ranked #1,307, down from #1,166 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Duffield, Eccleshall and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Newark and Sherwood and Bolsover.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Key is 5,443 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.5%.

1881 census count

3,900

Ranked #1,166

Modern count

5,167

2016, ranked #1,307

Peak year

2000

5,443 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Key had 3,900 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,166 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,167 in 2016, ranked #1,307.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,992 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Key surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Key surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Key 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 3,400 #841
1861 historical 1 #34,435
1881 historical 3,900 #1,166
1891 historical 215 #14,155
1901 historical 4,992 #1,128
1997 modern 5,010 #1,307
1998 modern 5,404 #1,259
1999 modern 5,440 #1,259
2000 modern 5,443 #1,254
2001 modern 5,328 #1,250
2002 modern 5,428 #1,249
2003 modern 5,322 #1,248
2004 modern 5,314 #1,246
2005 modern 5,197 #1,258
2006 modern 5,201 #1,255
2007 modern 5,241 #1,252
2008 modern 5,281 #1,258
2009 modern 5,365 #1,268
2010 modern 5,396 #1,293
2011 modern 5,276 #1,301
2012 modern 5,162 #1,302
2013 modern 5,234 #1,305
2014 modern 5,268 #1,305
2015 modern 5,201 #1,308
2016 modern 5,167 #1,307

Geography

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Where Keys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Newark and Sherwood, Bolsover, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent. 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 Duffield Derbyshire
2 Eccleshall Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 039 Shropshire
2 Newark and Sherwood 005 Newark and Sherwood
3 Bolsover 007 Bolsover
4 Stafford 005 Stafford
5 Stoke-on-Trent 004 Stoke-on-Trent

Forenames

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First names often paired with Key

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Key

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

Key is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Key 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 Key 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 Key, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Key

The surname Key is of English origin, and it is believed to have derived from the Old English word "caeg," which means "key." This word was likely used as a nickname for someone who worked as a key maker or locksmith during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Key can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in counties such as Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Gloucestershire. Some early spellings of the name include Keye, Kaye, and Keay.

In the 13th century, a man named Thomas Key was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1257. Another early record comes from the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1275, where a Robert le Keye is listed.

The surname Key is also found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Cai" and "Chei" in this record.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Key was Sir William Key, who was born in Warwickshire in the late 13th century and served as a Knight of the Shire for Warwickshire in the English Parliament in 1313.

Another notable figure was Thomas Key, a 16th-century English clergyman and scholar who was born in Sussex in 1502. He served as the Rector of Wrotham in Kent and was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts.

In the 17th century, John Key, born in 1602 in Gloucestershire, was a prominent English Puritan and minister who served as the Rector of St. Giles' Church in Camberwell, London.

During the 18th century, Benjamin Key, born in 1724 in London, was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of navigation and celestial mechanics.

In the 19th century, Thomas Hewitt Key, born in 1799 in Herefordshire, was a renowned English philosopher and author who wrote extensively on topics such as metaphysics and the philosophy of language.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Key families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Key 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 513 Keys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.27x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 513 1.27x
Staffordshire 494 3.63x
Yorkshire 324 0.81x
Nottinghamshire 260 4.79x
Lincolnshire 253 3.93x
Warwickshire 214 2.11x
Derbyshire 202 3.20x
Essex 160 2.01x
Norfolk 154 2.48x
Lancashire 149 0.31x
Cornwall 136 2.98x
Angus 94 2.52x
Shropshire 93 2.67x
Northamptonshire 83 2.19x
Cambridgeshire 81 3.17x
Surrey 78 0.40x
Cheshire 75 0.84x
Gloucestershire 67 0.85x
Durham 66 0.55x
Cumberland 61 1.76x
Kent 59 0.43x
Worcestershire 52 0.99x
Huntingdonshire 50 6.25x
Leicestershire 50 1.12x
Fife 47 1.97x
Glamorgan 34 0.48x
Hampshire 32 0.39x
Midlothian 32 0.59x
Lanarkshire 30 0.23x
Buckinghamshire 27 1.11x
Hertfordshire 21 0.76x
Dorset 17 0.64x
Devon 14 0.17x
Sussex 11 0.16x
Herefordshire 10 0.61x
Carmarthenshire 9 0.53x
Northumberland 9 0.15x
Bedfordshire 8 0.38x
Renfrewshire 8 0.26x
Westmorland 8 0.90x
Kincardineshire 6 1.22x
Suffolk 6 0.12x
Berkshire 5 0.17x
Cardiganshire 3 0.31x
Dunbartonshire 3 0.28x
Kinross-shire 3 2.94x
Perthshire 3 0.17x
Inverness-shire 2 0.17x
Monmouthshire 2 0.07x
Nairnshire 2 1.63x
Oxfordshire 2 0.08x
Royal Navy 2 0.42x
Rutland 2 0.68x
Somerset 2 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.06x
Selkirkshire 1 0.27x
Wigtownshire 1 0.19x
Wiltshire 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. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 104 Keys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.21x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 104 7.21x
Islington London 89 2.28x
Birmingham 77 2.27x
Eccleshall 76 147.32x
Heage 59 176.70x
Nottingham St Mary 51 3.63x
Carlton 44 70.98x
St Pancras London 41 1.26x
Aston 40 1.43x
West Bromwich 39 5.01x
Mansfield 38 20.21x
Kensington London 36 1.61x
Stone 31 17.81x
Leamington Priors 29 11.59x
St Dennis 29 170.19x
West Ham 29 1.65x
Holy Trinity 28 2.91x
St Breock 28 113.54x
Burslem 26 6.67x
Coreley 26 301.62x
Dundee 26 1.87x
Mile End Old Town London 25 2.91x
Hackney London 23 1.02x
Lambeth 23 0.65x
Tewkesbury 23 32.60x
Billinghay 22 110.72x
Pentrich 22 61.95x
Shoreditch London 22 1.26x
Leeds 21 0.93x
Glentworth 20 393.70x
Radford 20 7.25x
Trentham 20 17.28x
Bethnal Green London 19 1.09x
Bishopwearmouth 19 1.85x
Freethorpe 19 344.20x
St Andrewthe Less 19 6.51x
Barlaston 18 158.73x
Barlow 18 141.84x
Bow London 16 3.12x
Dearham 16 34.95x
Ecclesall Bierlow 16 1.97x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 16 0.74x
Kirkcaldy 16 13.52x
Newbold Dunston 16 26.68x
St Marylebone London 16 0.74x
Adbaston 15 201.34x
Camberwell 15 0.58x
Chelsea London 15 1.24x
Hammersmith London 15 1.51x
Leicester St Mary 15 4.15x
Ramsey 15 23.41x
Snenton 15 7.03x
Swineshead 15 70.82x
Tottenham 15 2.34x
Towcester 15 38.36x
Toxteth Park 15 0.93x
Braintree 14 19.60x
Enfield 14 5.29x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 14 9.68x
Newark Upon Trent 14 7.17x
South Shoebury 14 43.82x
West Derby 14 1.00x
Barry 13 29.01x
Emneth 13 94.13x
Great Yarmouth 13 2.53x
Openshaw 13 5.80x
Padstow 13 42.86x
Prestwich 13 10.90x
Sculcoates 13 2.05x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 13 14.34x
Sunderland 13 6.14x
Tipton 13 3.12x
Barony 12 0.36x
Grays Thurrock 12 16.23x
Inkberrow 12 56.39x
Monifieth 12 9.10x
Newcastle Under Lyme 12 4.98x
Peterborough 12 4.37x
Shettleston 12 10.28x
Warsop 12 83.39x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 246
Sarah 163
Elizabeth 161
Jane 71
Ann 69
Annie 69
Emma 66
Eliza 62
Alice 59
Hannah 54
Emily 50
Margaret 37
Harriet 36
Ellen 35
Ada 30
Martha 30
Fanny 28
Florence 27
Catherine 26
Edith 24
Louisa 23
Charlotte 21
Susan 20
Caroline 19
Clara 18
Lucy 18
Rebecca 18
Anne 17
Harriett 13
Kate 13
Maria 13
Agnes 11
Betsy 11
Esther 11
Julia 11
Frances 10
Lydia 10
Susannah 10
Isabella 9
Jessie 9
Sophia 9
Maud 8
Helen 7
Minnie 7
Rachel 7
Rose 7
Beatrice 6
Eleanor 6
Amy 5
Francis 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 254
John 234
George 169
Thomas 133
Henry 97
James 91
Joseph 71
Charles 70
Edward 47
Frederick 43
Alfred 42
Arthur 35
Samuel 35
Walter 33
Robert 31
Richard 28
Harry 27
Albert 22
Herbert 21
Edwin 16
Benjamin 14
Frank 14
Ernest 13
David 12
Isaac 12
Francis 11
Wm. 10
Edmund 8
Fred 8
Fredrick 7
Daniel 6
Jonathan 6
Tom 6
Andrew 5
Geo. 5
Jarvis 5
Mark 5
Philip 5
Percy 4
Peter 4
Stephen 4
Thos. 4
Willie 4
Caleb 3
Hart 3
J. 3
Jesse 3
Job 3
Lewington 3
Sidney 3

FAQ

Key surname: questions and answers

How common was the Key surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,900 people were recorded with the Key surname. That placed it at #1,166 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Key surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,167 in 2016. That gives Key a modern rank of #1,307.

What does the Key surname mean?

An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of keys, or for a gatekeeper or jailer.

What does the Key map show?

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