# Keith

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /kiːθ/ · frequency rank #5,429

## Definitions
1. A Scottish surname.
2. A male given name transferred from the surname.
3. A female given name from surname.
4. A placename:
5. A placename:
6. A placename:
7. A placename:
8. A placename:
9. A placename:

## Etymology
* As a Scottish surname, from the placename in Moray, Scotland, from Scottish Gaelic Cèith, meaning "wood" or "from the battleground," which is probably borrowed from Pictish *ᚉᚓᚈ (cēt) meaning "wood", or a forest, from Proto-Brythonic *koɨd.
* As a German surname, from Middle High German kit (“sprout, offspring”) (compare kint).

## Easily confused with
- **kit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-kit)
- **kept** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-kept)
- **Kent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-kent)
- **kits** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-kits)
- **knit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-knit)
- **kite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-kite)
- **keto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-keto)
- **Kita** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-kita)
- **Kitt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-kitt)
- **Keogh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-keogh)
- **knits** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keith-vs-knits)
- **kei** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kei-vs-keith)
- **Kath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kath-vs-keith)
- **keir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keir-vs-keith)
- **Keats** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keats-vs-keith)
- **Keira** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keira-vs-keith)
- **Keiko** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keiko-vs-keith)
- **Keisha** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keisha-vs-keith)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ekith`, `keiht`, `keithh`, `keitth`, `ketih`, `kieth`, `kkeith`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/keith