Holding steady.
Popularity of Keil since 1966
Babies named Keil per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 18 |
| 1970s | 42 |
| 1980s | 143 |
| 1990s | 78 |
| 2000s | 31 |
| 2010s | 5 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
The name Keil has been in consistent but extremely rare use in the United States since its first recorded appearance in 1966. Its peak year came in 1985, after which it has maintained a stable trajectory with very few births per year. While never ranking in the top 1000, it remains a distinctive choice. Though its origins are debated, it is most often grouped with the Scottish name Kyle, reflecting a narrow strait or channel. Keil has seen no particular concentration in any state, and its modern usage likely stems from parents seeking a variant of more common names like Kyle or Cole.
Keil is most likely a variant of Kyle, a Scottish surname and given name derived from the Gaelic 'caol', meaning 'narrow' or 'strait'. It may also originate as a variant spelling of the Irish surname O'Kiel or as a transferred use of the German surname Keil (meaning 'wedge'). The name has seen sporadic use in the United States since the 1960s.
Nicknames & variants
Sibling names for Keil
Names that share Keil's style, for a brother or sister.
