Fun Facts About the Name Keita
- 680 babies named Keita: U.S. records list 680 babies given the name Keita from 1880 through 2025. Even 189 girls received the name Keita - about 1 girl for every 3 boys.
What Does the Name Keita Mean?
Keita is a name of at least two separate origins: a Mandé (West African) clan name, and a Japanese masculine given name. In Mandé languages such as Mandinka and Bambara, Keita (also written Keïta) is the surname of the lineage that ruled the Mali Empire; its literal meaning is not securely established. Mandé clan names often carry symbolic or praise associations rather than a transparent everyday meaning, and Keita is sometimes connected with the lion (Mandinka jata), but that link is not a proven etymology.
Japanese Keita is usually written with two kanji, the second almost always 太 (ta), a common element in male names meaning "great" or "thick." The first character varies: 圭 ("jade"), 恵 ("blessing, favor"), 啓 ("to open, to enlighten"), 慶 ("celebration, joy"), 敬 ("respect"), among others. Because the meaning comes from the characters chosen, Japanese Keita has no single fixed definition.
Keita Name History & Origins
Keita is the dynastic clan name of the Mali Empire, which rose in the thirteenth century. Sundiata Keita, the lineage's best-known early leader, defeated the Sosso king Sumanguru Kante at the Battle of Kirina, traditionally dated to about 1235, and Mali became a major power in West Africa. Later rulers of the same line, including Mansa Musa in the fourteenth century, bore the name Keita. Much of this account comes from the Sunjata epic, an oral tradition performed by Mandé griots (jeliw) that mixes history with legend; the epic's genealogies also include a traditional claim that the Keita clan descends from Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, a claim of ancestry rather than a documented fact.
The surname spread with Mandé-speaking communities across present-day Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Gambia, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso, and Keita also came to be used as a given name in the region. Among modern bearers are Modibo Keïta, the first president of independent Mali, and the singer Salif Keita.
Japanese Keita has an unrelated history. It is a given name formed from two kanji, typically ending in 太, and it belongs to a familiar pattern of Japanese male names ending in -ta, such as Yuta, Sota, and Ryota. Its first element varies from family to family, so the name has appeared in many different character combinations rather than one fixed form.
How Popular is the Name Keita?
Keita has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1981. Its best rank was #1,747 in 1981.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | #16,801 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #9,128 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #11,029 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #9,911 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #8,469 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #7,803 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #4,620 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1980 | #6,094 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #5,569 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #9,054 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #10,351 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1976 | #9,981 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #4,024 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1974 | #5,152 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #4,686 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #4,927 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #5,746 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #5,219 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #4,569 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1968 | #5,900 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #6,379 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,001 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #10,377 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #13,357 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #13,126 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #6,991 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #13,195 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #5,667 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #9,295 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #5,628 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #9,233 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #7,858 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #6,427 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #8,474 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #7,478 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2008 | #5,374 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #7,897 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #11,382 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #10,818 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #9,472 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #8,252 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #7,355 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #7,962 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,334 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #4,897 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #6,582 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #8,492 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #4,169 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1994 | #4,967 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #5,197 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #4,713 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #3,926 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #8,834 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #5,394 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #5,218 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #5,659 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #6,176 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #6,854 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #5,212 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #4,098 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #1,747 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1980 | #3,029 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #6,556 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #4,368 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #2,980 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1976 | #4,686 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #3,001 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1974 | #3,044 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #3,329 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #4,212 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #3,262 | 10 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Keita Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Keita's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Keita's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.