Keighley
A girl's name of Old English origin with 203 recorded U.S. births.
Meaning & Origin
A town and civil parish with a town council in the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England .
Keighley is a girl's baby name of Old English origin, from the West Yorkshire town name meaning 'Cyhha's woodland clearing,' from a personal name and the Old English leah (clearing). The Brontë sisters lived nearby in Haworth — Keighley is deeply embedded in literary, industrial England.
As a given name, Keighley has a romantic, literary quality — the rugged Yorkshire moors and the legacy of the Brontës make this place name a name of unexpected poetic depth.
EtymologyShow more
The ending of a name often carries more etymological information than the beginning. Keighley's final sounds are bright, approachable — giving the name a friendly, informal feel. In English-language naming, many feminine names end on open vowels or soft consonants, creating a melodic, approachable quality. Keighley follows that feminine pattern.
Explore the ending-based name pages on this site to find names that share Keighley's suffix pattern — names with similar endings often share a style and era, even when they come from different linguistic backgrounds.
At a Glance
Popularity Over Time
Keighley climbed 1532 spots in the last 20 years — from #12186 to #10654.
Popularity by Decade
| Decade | Births | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 29 | ▼ |
| 2010s | 37 | ▼ |
| 2000s | 65 | — |
| 1990s | 67 | ▲ |
| 1980s | 5 | — |
The Story of Keighley
A Gen Alpha name
Peaking in 2023, Keighley is a fresh, modern favorite. Girls named Keighley are most likely born between 2013 and 2024.
How rare is Keighley?
Only about 1 in every 400,000 babies born in 2024 was named Keighley — a truly uncommon choice.
The journey through the decades
First appeared in the records in 1989, peaked in the 1990s with 67 births that decade, and has gracefully settled into a quieter chapter.
Keighley by the numbers
- Would fill 4 school buses
Year-by-Year Data
View complete yearly data(26 years, 1989–2024)
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | #10654 |
| 2023 | 20 | #6060 |
| 2017 | 6 | #15030 |
| 2016 | 7 | #13615 |
| 2015 | 7 | #13738 |
| 2014 | 7 | #13819 |
| 2012 | 5 | #18225 |
| 2010 | 5 | #18445 |
| 2008 | 10 | #11211 |
| 2007 | 6 | #16532 |
| 2006 | 9 | #11935 |
| 2005 | 5 | #17850 |
| 2004 | 8 | #12186 |
| 2003 | 5 | #17060 |
| 2002 | 5 | #16796 |
| 2001 | 12 | #8478 |
| 2000 | 5 | #16292 |
| 1999 | 9 | #9903 |
| 1998 | 5 | #15329 |
| 1997 | 11 | #8046 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration, 1989–2024