How common is the surname Keir?

751 people in the United States had the surname Keir in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 411,113 Americans. It ranked 30,946th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Keir?

In the 2010 Census, 93% of people named Keir identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named Keir?

Andrew Keir, British actor (1926-1997).

Where is the surname Keir most common?

Wikidata records people named Keir in the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Keir getting more or less common?

Less common. 800 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 751 in 2010, down 6.1%.

Is Keir also a first name?

Yes. Keir is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Keir

A Scottish Gaelic surname, carried by 751 people in the United States.

Pronounced /kɪɹ/ 1 syllable Soundex K600 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Keir is more common than 80.9% of them.

Origin

Scottish Gaelic origin

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic ciar (“dark”) or Old Norse [Term?]. Hanks (2006) derived the name from Pictish/Proto-Brythonic *kaɨr (“a fort”), possibly via Scots keir.

One of 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 751 people named Keir in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 411,113 Americans. That is down 6.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 800.

#30,946

rank among US surnames

751

people in 2010

0.3

per 100,000 Americans

-6.1%

change since 2000 (was #28,166)

Who is named Keir

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

93% of people named Keir identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 2.0% as Black (not Hispanic).

White (not Hispanic) 93%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Black (not Hispanic) 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Two or more races 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Keirs

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Andrew Keir
British actor (1926-1997)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Keir

Keir has the Soundex code K600, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code K600.

Other Scottish Gaelic surnames

All 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Keir come from?: Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic ciar (“dark”) or Old Norse [Term?]. Hanks (2006) derived the name from Pictish/Proto-Brythonic *kaɨr (“a fort”), possibly via Scots keir.
How common is the surname Keir?: 751 people in the United States had the surname Keir in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 411,113 Americans. It ranked 30,946th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Keir?: In the 2010 Census, 93% of people named Keir identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named Keir?: Andrew Keir, British actor (1926-1997).
Where is the surname Keir most common?: Wikidata records people named Keir in the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Keir?: Keir is /kɪɹ/, one syllable.
Is the surname Keir getting more or less common?: Less common. 800 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 751 in 2010, down 6.1%.
Is Keir also a first name?: Yes. Keir is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.