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Kee Family History

Kee Surname Meaning

Irish: shortened form of McKee. Dutch: from a pet form of the personal name Cornelis (see Cornelius).

Native American (Navajo): from an American English shortened and altered form of a Navajo personal name based on ashkii ‘boy’ such as Kii Yázhí ‘Little Boy’.

Korean: variant of Ki. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 紀 (see Ji), 齊 and 祁 (see Qi 1-2) and 郭 (see Guo).

Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of some Chinese names 奇 (meaning ‘special’), 琦 (meaning ‘outstanding’) or 基 (meaning ‘base’) which were monosyllabic personal names or part of disyllabic personal names of some early Chinese immigrants in the US.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Kee family from?

You can see how Kee families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kee family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Kee families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 14 Kee families living in Durham. This was about 23% of all the recorded Kee's in United Kingdom. Durham had the highest population of Kee families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kee surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Kee ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Laundryman and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Kee. 34% of Kee men worked as a Laundryman and 74% of Kee women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Kee were Unpaid Domestic Duties and Housewife.

View Census Data for Kee | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Laundryman
    34%
  • Builders Joiner
    23%
  • Kitchen Porter
    23%
  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    23%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    74%
  • Paid Domestic Duties
    9%
  • Domestic Servant
    9%
  • Housewife
    9%

What Kee family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 110,000 census records available for the last name Kee. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kee census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Kee

Passenger Lists

There are 20,000 immigration records available for the last name Kee. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Kee immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 16,000 military records available for the last name Kee. For the veterans among your Kee ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Kee military records

You've only scratched the surface of Kee family history

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What is the average Kee lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Kee life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Kee in 1951 was 38, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Kee

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Kee ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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