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Keiffer
How to Pronounce Keiffer
Pronounced KEE-fur /ˈkiː.fər/Medium
Meaning: Keiffer is a modern respelling of Kiefer, a German surname turned given name. Kiefer means either 'pine tree' or a 'barrel-maker,' that is, a cooper, depending on the source word. Keiffer keeps that meaning in an -ei- doubled spelling and echoes the actor Kiefer Sutherland.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Keiffer is a modern American respelling of Kiefer, a German surname adopted as a first name. Kiefer means 'pine tree' in one reading and a 'cooper,' a barrel-maker, in another. The actor Kiefer Sutherland brought the name to wider notice from the late 1980s, and spellings like Keiffer followed. It appears in United States records from the late 1980s and touched its faint high in the early 1990s.
It was never common, given to only a couple dozen boys a year even at its peak, so a Keiffer from that high would be in his thirties today. It reads as an of-its-era spelling rather than a revival, and the standard Kiefer remains the usual form.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- ★Kiefer Sutherland (b. 1966)Canadian-American actor whose fame spread the name Kiefer
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Keiffer mean?
It is a respelling of Kiefer, a German surname meaning 'pine tree' or a 'barrel-maker' (cooper).
How do you pronounce Keiffer?
It's said KEE-fur /ˈkiː.fər/, two syllables with the stress on the first.
Is Keiffer a boy or girl name?
Keiffer is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Keiffer?
It has always been rare, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its peak in the early nineteen-nineties.