Find out how popular the last name Keahey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Keahey.
A variant spelling of Kehoe, an anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cathaodha meaning "descendent of Cathaodh".
Keahey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Keahey surname is from the 2010 census data.
Keahey is the 31906th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Keahey surname appeared 723 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Keahey.
We can also compare 2010 data for Keahey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 31906 | 31704 | 0.64% |
| Count | 723 | 689 | 4.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.25 | 0.26 | -3.92% |
The surname Keahey has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic words "caoch" meaning blind or one-eyed, and "aedh" meaning fire or fiery. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone with a physical characteristic or perhaps a person with a fiery temperament.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keahey can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a "Brian Oge Keahey" in the year 1582, who was a member of a prominent Irish clan.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Keahey appeared in various Irish records and documents, often spelled differently, such as "Keahie," "Keahay," or "Keahy." This was a common occurrence due to the lack of standardized spellings during that time period.
A notable figure in Irish history with the surname Keahey was Cornelius Keahey (1670-1744), a prominent landowner and politician from County Cork. He served as a member of the Irish Parliament and was actively involved in the affairs of his local community.
Another individual of note was Sir James Keahey (1745-1819), an Irish-born British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Bath for his service.
In the 19th century, the Keahey surname began to spread beyond Ireland as many families emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly to North America and Australia. One such individual was John Keahey (1810-1887), an Irish immigrant who settled in New York City and became a successful businessman.
Another notable figure was Sarah Keahey (1832-1901), an Irish-American author and poet who published several works of poetry and prose. Her collection of poems, "Echoes from the Emerald Isle," was widely acclaimed and celebrated her Irish heritage.
Throughout history, the Keahey surname has been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Keahy's Cross in County Cork and Keahey's Hollow in County Tipperary. These place names likely derived from individuals or families with the Keahey surname who had a significant presence in those areas.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Keahey.
The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Keahey was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 75.52% | 546 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 16.32% | 118 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 2.21% | 16 |
| Hispanic Origin | 4.70% | 34 |
Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Keahey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 75.52% | 80.70% | -6.63% |
| Black | 16.32% | 15.09% | 7.83% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | 2.21% | 2.32% | -4.86% |
| Hispanic | 4.70% | 1.74% | 91.93% |
The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.
The history and meaning of the name Keahey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Keahey, please contact us.
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