Key Name Meaning: Thought to have originated from a number of different origins, may have came from the Anglo-Saxon word 'Coeg' meaning 'key',may have also been taken from the Welsh word 'cai' meaning 'corn' or from the French 'Kay(e)' meaning quay.
Thought to have derived from a number of different origins, may have been an occupational name for someone who looked after keys for a toll gate for rxample or someone who made keys, may have also been used to describe someone who lived by a quay or someone associated with corn.
Discover how your Key ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.| Bedfordshire | 10 |
| Buckinghamshire | 19 |
| Berkshire | 16 |
| Cambridgeshire | 81 |
| Channel Islands | 1 |
| Cheshire | 90 |
| Cornwall | 116 |
| Cumberland | 72 |
| Derbyshire | 212 |
| Devon | 23 |
| Dorset | 13 |
| Durham | 99 |
| Essex | 247 |
| Gloucestershire | 47 |
| Hampshire | 49 |
| Herefordshire | 7 |
| Hertfordshire | 22 |
| Huntingdonshire (and Rutland) | 35 |
| Isle of Man | 10 |
| Kent | 49 |
| Lancashire | 378 |
| Leicestershire | 92 |
| Lincolnshire | 246 |
| London | 562 |
| Middlesex | 170 |
| Northumberland | 25 |
| Norfolk | 145 |
| Northamptonshire | 54 |
| Nottinghamshire | 396 |
| Oxfordshire | 14 |
| Rutland (and Huntingdonshire) | 35 |
| Shropshire | 77 |
| Suffolk | 27 |
| Somerset | 12 |
| Surrey | 49 |
| Sussex | 38 |
| Staffordshire | 470 |
| Warwickshire | 196 |
| Westmorland | 3 |
| Wiltshire | 9 |
| Worcestershire | 114 |
| Yorkshire | 562 |
| Anglesey | 0 |
| Brecknockshire | 0 |
| Cardiganshire | 1 |
| Carnarvonshire | 4 |
| Carmarthenshire | 13 |
| Denbighshire | 1 |
| Flintshire | 0 |
| Glamorgan | 54 |
| Merionethshire | 2 |
| Montgomeryshire | 1 |
| Monmouthshire | 12 |
| Pembrokeshire | 4 |
| Radnorshire | 0 |
| Profession | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| Living On Own Means | 70 |
| General Labourer | 54 |
| Farmer | 48 |
| General Servant Domestic | 33 |
| Scholar | 33 |
| Dress Maker | 25 |
| Domestic Servant | 22 |
| Carpenter | 19 |
| Cook Domestic | 19 |
| Dressmaker | 19 |
| House Maid Domestic | 16 |
| Agricultural Labourer | 15 |
| House Keeper Domestic | 14 |
| Butcher | 14 |
| Housemaid Domestic | 13 |
| Laundress Wash | 13 |
| Tailor | 12 |
| Coal Hewer | 12 |
| Gardener Domestic | 12 |
| Coal Miner Hewer | 12 |
| House Keeper | 11 |
| Cotton Weaver | 11 |
| Coal Miner C Hewer | 11 |
| Grocer Assistant | 11 |
| Coal Miner | 9 |
| Name | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| William Key | 2,175 |
| Mary Key | 2,137 |
| John Key | 2,004 |
| Elizabeth Key | 1,401 |
| Sarah Key | 1,302 |
| George Key | 1,198 |
| Thomas Key | 1,153 |
| James Key | 869 |
| Henry Key | 705 |
| Ann Key | 689 |
| Joseph Key | 679 |
| Charles Key | 569 |
| Jane Key | 534 |
| Alice Key | 455 |
| Eliza Key | 427 |
| Annie Key | 424 |
| Emma Key | 419 |
| Hannah Key | 417 |
| Edward Key | 401 |
| Frederick Key | 385 |
| Arthur Key | 343 |
| Robert Key | 340 |
| Ellen Key | 332 |
| Samuel Key | 320 |
| Martha Key | 314 |
| Rank | Surname | Match | Census Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kay | 67% | 85,028 |
| 2 | Key | 100% | 32,408 |
| 3 | Kaye | 50% | 27,763 |
| 4 | Oakey | 60% | 5,180 |
| 5 | Keay | 75% | 4,721 |
| 6 | Okey | 75% | 1,867 |
| 7 | Quay | 25% | 570 |
| 8 | Keey | 75% | 281 |
| 9 | Keye | 75% | 163 |
| 10 | Kie | 33% | 158 |
| 11 | Kye | 33% | 158 |
| 12 | Kea | 67% | 124 |
The surname Key is the 2nd most popular variant of Kay.