Keighan
A masculine name of Irish origin meaning "intelligent" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 187 living Americans carry the first name Keighan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 82.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Keighan today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keighan births was 2017 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keighan. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Keighan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
187
~ 1 in 1,832,911 Americans
Peak year
2017
20 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2019 SSA rank
#9,327
Tracked since 2006
Gender
Gender distribution for Keighan
Keighan leans heavily male at 82.0% of total registrations, but 34 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Keighan as a male name
- Ranked #9,327 in 2019
- 8 male births in 2019
- Peak: 2014 (18 births)
Keighan as a female name
- Ranked #13,140 in 2018
- 7 female births in 2018
- Peak: 2009 (9 births)
Popularity
Keighan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keighan from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 140 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keighan 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 Keighan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Keighan
The name Keighan is a unique and intriguing one, with roots that can be traced back to the ancient Celtic languages of the British Isles. Its origins lie in the Gaelic tongues of Ireland and Scotland, where it was likely derived from the Old Irish word "cian," meaning "ancient" or "distant."
In the early medieval period, the name may have been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who had traveled great distances or was considered wise and experienced beyond their years. Alternatively, it could have been bestowed upon a child born to parents of advanced age, signifying their arrival after a long wait.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1021, a certain "Cian mac Maic Niadh" is mentioned, though it is unclear whether this was a personal name or a surname.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Keighan or its various spellings. In the 16th century, Keighan O'Rourke (c. 1550-1602) was a renowned Irish harper and composer who served at the court of the O'Neill dynasty in Ulster. His compositions and playing style were highly influential in preserving the traditions of Irish harp music.
Another Keighan of note was Keighan MacLean (c. 1690-1756), a Scottish warrior and clan chief who led his men in several battles during the Jacobite risings of the 18th century. He is remembered for his bravery and loyalty to the Stuart cause.
In more recent times, Keighan O'Doherty (1906-1979) was an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament. He represented County Donegal and was a prominent voice for rural and agricultural interests.
Finally, Keighan Donner (1945-2021) was an American chess grandmaster and author, known for his aggressive and uncompromising playing style. He won numerous tournaments throughout his career and was a influential figure in the world of competitive chess.
While the name Keighan is relatively uncommon today, its rich historical roots and associations with figures from Ireland, Scotland, and beyond lend it a sense of heritage and cultural significance.
People
Keighan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keighan 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
Keighan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keighan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 187 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keighan 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 1,832,911 US residents.
Is Keighan a common name?
We classify Keighan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 189 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keighan most popular?
The single biggest year for Keighan was 2017, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keighan is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Keighan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keighan a male name?
Yes, 82.0% of people registered as Keighan in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Keighan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keighan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Keighan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Keighan?
See how many people have the name Keighan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.