Keyes
A surname that can point either to keys as an occupational sign or, in some cases, to St. Peter’s keys as a religious emblem.
The #1,979 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,916 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name Keyes is usually treated as a spelling variant of Key, which in English could arise from a sign-name connected with a locksmith or key-maker. Some 19th-century writers also linked Keyes with the emblematic keys of St. Peter, giving it a religious sense in certain families. Because the historical sources do not agree, the surname is best explained as a name with more than one possible origin.
History
The surname appears in English records in several spellings, especially Key and Keyes. Later writers noted both occupational and religious explanations, and the name is found in different parts of Britain and Ireland. In Ireland, modern surname studies record Keyes in multiple counties, showing that the form became established there as well.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One source explicitly contrasts Keyes with Key, suggesting that the spelling with -es was sometimes understood as more than just a simple plural form.
From the historical record
“Jouru., p. 327. KEY. KEYES. keys. The same as Kay, which see. KEYMER. a parish in Sussex, KEYNES. See under Cheney.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom