Keelin
An Irish name meaning "slender and beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 1,357 living Americans carry the first name Keelin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Keelin today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keelin births was 2002 (70 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keelin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 252,582 Americans
Peak year
2002
70 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,248
Tracked since 1956
Gender
Gender distribution for Keelin
Keelin is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,387 total registrations, 347 (25.0%) were male and 1,040 (75.0%) were female.
Keelin as a male name
- Ranked #13,248 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2000 (23 births)
Keelin as a female name
- Ranked #14,451 in 2022
- 6 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2002 (61 births)
Popularity
Keelin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keelin from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 555 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keelin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Keelin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Keelins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Massachusetts, Texas recorded the most babies named Keelin, while Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Keelin
The name Keelin has its origins in Irish Gaelic, derived from the word "caol", which means "slender" or "graceful". It is believed to have been in use since the early medieval period, particularly in Ireland and Scotland.
Keelin was a popular name among the Celtic population, often given to children with a slender or delicate appearance. The name's association with grace and beauty made it a favored choice for many families.
In ancient Irish folklore and mythology, there are references to characters with names similar to Keelin, such as Caoilinn, a legendary warrior princess renowned for her beauty and bravery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keelin dates back to the 12th century, when a Irish monk named Keelin O'Mulvany is mentioned in historical records as a renowned scholar and scribe.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Keelin. One such figure was Keelin O'Reilly (1580-1653), an Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Reilly clan during the Confederate Wars in the 17th century.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Keelin Giligan (1778-1841), an Irish-American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later became a respected landowner and community leader in Pennsylvania.
In the realm of literature, Keelin O'Donnell (1901-1976) was an Irish writer and poet whose works celebrated the beauty of the Irish landscape and culture.
The name also gained recognition in the field of sports with Keelin Shanley (1942-2018), an Irish hurler who represented County Waterford and was part of the Munster Championship-winning team in the 1960s.
Lastly, Keelin Delaney (1956-present) is a renowned Irish broadcaster and journalist, known for her work as a presenter on RTÉ News and Current Affairs programs.
While the name Keelin may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and associations with grace, beauty, and strength have made it a cherished part of Irish and Celtic heritage.
People
Keelin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keelin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Keelin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keelin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,357 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keelin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 252,582 US residents.
Is Keelin a common name?
We classify Keelin as "Rare". It ranks above 91.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,387 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keelin most popular?
The single biggest year for Keelin was 2002, when 70 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keelin is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Keelin a female name?
Yes, 75.0% of people registered as Keelin in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.