KEITH
Keith is a surname originating in the British Isles, specifically Scotland, and deriving from the Gaelic personal name Ceiteach, which means forest. The name is understood to have first been used as a nickname for individuals who dwelt near woodland areas or who had a close association with the forest.
The earliest documented use of the name appears in the year 1201, in a charter witnessed by Bernard de Keth at Kelso in East Lothian. This early reference places the surname firmly within the Scottish nobility of the medieval period and indicates that the bearers of the name held lands in that region.
During the reign of King Robert the Bruce, a notable bearer of the name was Sir George Keith, who held the title of the Great Marischal of Scotland in 1315 and commanded the Scots’ cavalry at the Battle of Bannockburn. He was killed at the Battle of Durham in 1346. Later, Andrew Keth, the fourth Earl Marischal, served as a hostage to secure the release of King James I in 1425, and George Keith (1693‑1778), the tenth Earl Marischal, was exiled for his support of the Jacobite cause.
The Keith family has long been associated with the office of Marischal, a hereditary position responsible for the safekeeping of royal regalia and the commanding of the army in times of war. The continuity of this office within the same family underscores the prominence of the surname in Scottish aristocratic society.
There are also historical accounts that reference a possible German influence on the surname. According to these accounts, a group referred to as the Catti, led by a man named Robert, landed on the east coast of Scotland in the eleventh century and assisted the native population in repelling the Danes. The Catti were reportedly granted lands in East Lothian, where they retained prominence for many centuries. Whether these lands were obtained voluntarily or through conquest remains uncertain. While the absence of the prefix Mac in the Keith name is sometimes cited as evidence against a purely Gaelic origin, the same is true of the Clan Douglas, which is firmly regarded as a Scottish clan. Thus, the lack of a Gaelic patronymic prefix does not conclusively identify the surname as non‑Scottish.
In contemporary times the surname Keith is found throughout the globe, with significant populations in English‑speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Its retention of a distinctly Gaelic root, combined with its historical prominence, continues to affaïl a sense of heritage among its bearers.
Typical given names associated with the Keith surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- George
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- William
Female
- Angela
- Caroline
- Elizabeth
- Julie
- Karen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Pauline
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Keat
- Keath
- Kath
- Kathe
- Kathy
- Kaith
- Kieth
- Keit
- Keita
- Caithie
- Cath
- Cathe
- Cathee
- Cathie
- Cauth
- Coath
- Cooth
- Coth
- Couth
- Cuth
- Cuthie
- Gaeth
- Gaith
- Gaitho
- Gath
- Gatha
- Gathe
- Gathia
- Gathii
- Gathu
- Gauth
- Gauthe
- Ghaith
- Gheith
- Goethe
- Gooth
- Goth
- Gothe
- Gothi
- Gouth
- Gueth
- Guith
- Guth
- Gutha
- Guthe
- Guthie
- Kait
- Katha
- Kathi
- Kauth
- Keet
- Keeth
- Keight
- Keites
- Keithly
- Keitt
- Keitts
- Ket
- Keth
- Kett
- Keyt
- Keyth
- Kiet
- Kietz
- Kith
- Koth
- Kotha
- Kothe
- Kothia
- Kuethe
- Kuth
- Kuthe
- Kethu
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Keith in...
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There are approximately 5,465 people named Keith in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,734th most common surname in Britain. Around 84 in a million people in Britain are named Keith.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Keith
- Penelope Keith - Actress; High Sheriff of Surrey; Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey
- Brian Keith - Actor (1921 to 1997)
- Alan Keith - Actor and DJ (1908 to 2003)
- Sheila Keith - Actress (1920 to 2004)
- Arthur Keith - Anatomy, anthropology, geologist (1866 to 1955)
- Henry Keith, Baron Keith of Kinkel - Scottish lawyer (1922 to 2002)
- James Francis Edward Keith - German general (1696 to 1758)
- William Keith - Scottish-American painter (1838 to 1911)
- Joe Keith - Football player
- George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal - Scottish earl (1693 to 1778)
- Marino Keith - Scottish football player
- Ian Keith, 12th Earl of Kintore - Noble (1908 to 1989)
- Alexander Keith - Canadian politician, Freemason and brewer (1795 to 1873)
- Adrian Keith - Football player
- James Keith, Baron Keith of Avonholm - Scottish advocate and Lord of Session (1886 to 1964)
- Stuart Keith - -American ornithologist (1931 to 2003)
- Ion Keith-Falconer - Scottish missionary, Arabic scholar and cyclist (1856 to 1887)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.