Keith is a Scottish surname and place name from East Lothian, usually explained with the old Brythonic word for "wood" or "forest". The Earls Marischal of Scotland carried the Keith name for centuries, and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is its most famous modern bearer. Keith was a top 100 name in America from the 1950s to the 1980s; it ranked number 222 in 2000 and has fallen steadily since to number 801 in 2025.