Keegan first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Keegan has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Keegan

Irish name meaning "little fiery one" or "descendant of the slender one".

Popularity of Keegan by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Keegan is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 91% of people named Keegan being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 441 male babies and 65 female babies born with the name Keegan.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 65 baby girls were named Keegan in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 441 65
2022 520 56
2021 592 72
2020 591 70
2019 719 72
2018 939 88
2017 1,122 123
2016 1,293 114
2015 1,346 130
2014 1,558 118
2013 1,458 143
2012 1,471 114
2011 1,370 130
2010 1,430 133
2009 1,597 129
2008 1,682 160
2007 1,706 181
2006 1,594 125
2005 1,390 109
2004 1,293 118
2003 1,271 107
2002 1,284 115
2001 1,158 112
2000 1,080 122
1999 957 83
1998 928 80
1997 804 71
1996 798 79
1995 670 64
1994 606 60
1993 516 43
1992 485 45
1991 442 56
1990 385 40
1989 329 33
1988 214 39
1987 188 31
1986 165 34
1985 205 37
1984 157 46
1983 126 43
1982 121 36
1981 106 14
1980 110 15
1979 82 14
1978 67 6
1977 48 12
1976 45 13
1975 25 0
1974 24 0

The history of the first name Keegan

The name Keegan is of Irish origin and is believed to have derived from the Gaelic name Cian, which means "ancient" or "enduring". The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 7th century in Ireland, where it was commonly used as a surname.

In ancient Irish mythology, Cian was the name of a legendary warrior and father of the legendary Irish hero Lugh. The name appears in several ancient Irish texts, including the Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland), which dates back to the 11th century.

The variant spelling Keegan emerged in the 17th century as an anglicized version of the Irish surname Ó Ciaráin, which means "descendant of Ciarán". Ciarán was an Irish saint who lived in the 6th century and founded several monasteries in Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the first name Keegan was Keegan O'Rourke, an Irish soldier who fought in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 during the Williamite War in Ireland.

Other notable individuals named Keegan throughout history include:

  1. Keegan Deane (1623-1691), an Irish Catholic priest and historian.
  2. Keegan Barry (1809-1874), an Irish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi.
  3. Keegan de Lancie (1828-1900), a French-American stage actor and director.
  4. Keegan Michael Key (born 1971), an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer, best known for his work on the sketch comedy series Key & Peele.
  5. Keegan Bradley (born 1986), an American professional golfer who has won four PGA Tour events, including the 2011 PGA Championship.

While the name Keegan has Irish roots, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries, and is now used as a given name for both boys and girls.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Keegan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Keegan, please contact us.

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We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Keegan first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/keegan-meaning-and-history/.

"Keegan first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/keegan-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Keegan first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/keegan-meaning-and-history/.

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