Explore the Family Name Keely

The meaning of Keely

Irish: variant of Keeley.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Keely in the United States?

The surname Keely has seen a rise in popularity according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, Keely ranked 16,184th in terms of frequency among all surnames but jumped up to 14,636th place by 2010, marking a growth rate of roughly 9.57 percent. The actual count of people with the Keely surname also increased significantly over this decade, going from 1,642 individuals in 2000 to 2,033 in 2010, which corresponds to an increase of about 23.81 percent. This shift indicates an evolution in the distribution and commonality of the Keely surname across America.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#16,184	#14,636	9.57%
Count	1,642	2,033	23.81%
Proportion per 100k	0.61	0.69	13.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Keely

Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the Keely surname. Over the years, the surname has been predominantly linked to white ethnicity, although there's been a slight decrease in percentage from 88.98 percent in 2000 to 86.62 percent in 2010. The data shows significant growth in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category, with a remarkable 123.64 percent change. There was also a notable increase in Hispanic representation from 1.28 percent in 2000 to 2.12 percent in 2010. In contrast, those identifying as two or more races decreased slightly during this period. Despite the fluctuations, it is evident that the Keely surname spans multiple ethnic identities, reflecting the diversity of the United States.

	2000	2010	Change
White	88.98%	86.62%	-2.65%
Black	6.88%	7.82%	13.66%
Hispanic	1.28%	2.12%	65.62%
Two or More Races	1.64%	1.48%	-9.76%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.55%	1.23%	123.64%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.67%	0.74%	10.45%