Keck
A surname with several possible roots, most likely a Germanic nickname or a short form of an older personal name.
The #3,227 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,601 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Keck is not securely explained by the excerpts, and older writers linked it to more than one source. One possibility is a Germanic nickname or personal-name form, from a word meaning lively, bold, or spirited; another is a shortened form of an older given name or pet form found in continental Germanic languages. Some 19th-century writers also compared it with forms related to words for "key" or with Anglo-Saxon-looking short forms, but those suggestions are speculative rather than certain.
History
Keck appears in English records by the 18th century and is also found in continental European spelling traditions, especially German and Dutch. The name is uncommon in the United States, but it has enough old-world variety that modern bearers may descend from different branches with different original spellings. Historical mentions in Britain include families of status and county connections, such as the Tracy Kecks of Oxfordshire.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname books, Keck was sometimes grouped with other short, sharp-looking names because its meaning was thought to suggest someone bold or brisk.
From the historical record
“1771. — Francis Charteris and Susan Keck : St. Geo. Han. Sq. i. 212. 1797. — William Marshall and Sarah Charters : ibid. L 169. London, 0,4,4,0, i ; New York, 0,4, 1,0,0.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)