A Scottish and German surname originally, the Keith name comes from the Middle High German term of ‘kit’ which meant an offspring. Variations in spelling for Keith include Keath and Ceiteach. In England the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northumberland, Durham and the city of London have the highest percentage of Keith families. In Scotland the Keith surname originated in East Lothian. It spread in largest numbers to Aberdeenshire, Fife, Angus, Lanarkshire and Argyll. Within the United States the Keith surname is in Pennsylvania, Texas, Massachusetts, Ohio, Illinois, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, California, Washington and New York in greatest numbers. Famous: Vicki Keith (a champion marathon swimmer from Canada), Brian Keith (movie film and television actor), Penelope Anne Constance Keith (an English actress), David Keith (playwright from Australia) and David Keith (actor and director of movies).