Key Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Key last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Key last name
Meaning of the Key last name: key maker, or quay. Key is an English surname with two roots: a name for a maker of keys, from Old English caeg, or for someone who lived by a quay, from Middle English key. A curious detail of this surname origin: Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words of The Star-Spangled Banner, carried this last name, and the old spelling of "quay" still sounds just like "key".
Arms associated with the Key name
English heraldry loves puns, choosing figures that echo the sound of a name, and that playful custom runs through many coats of arms linked with the Key name.
Get your full Key family history
This is only a glimpse of the Key story. The full Key history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Key coat of arms. Get the full Key report.
Key name FAQ
What does the Key name mean?
Key maker, or quay. Common variants include Keye, Keys.
Where does the Key surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and Australia.
Is there a Key coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Key coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).