Find out how popular the last name Keane is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Keane.

Keane, 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 Keane surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keane in America

Keane is the 3154th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keane surname appeared 11,459 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Keane.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keane 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.

The history of the last name Keane

The surname Keane is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Catháin, which originated in County Tyrone, Ireland. The name derives from the old Irish word 'cath,' meaning battle or warrior.

Ó Catháin is believed to have originated in the 11th century and is historically associated with the ancient Irish territory of Airghialla, located in the modern-day counties of Armagh, Monaghan, and Fermanagh. The name is mentioned in various Irish annals, such as the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of the Four Masters.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Murchadh Ó Catháin, a prominent chieftain who lived in the 12th century. He is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster in the year 1166, where he is referred to as "Ua Cathain."

In the 16th century, the name Keane appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns of Ireland, which were legal documents issued by the English Crown. The name was also found in the Plantation of Ulster records from the early 17th century.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Keane. One of the most famous was John Keane (1781-1844), an Irish-born British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became Governor of St. Lucia and Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Joseph Keane (1839-1918), an American prelate who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, and later became the Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa.

In the literary world, John Brendan Keane (1928-2002) was an Irish novelist, playwright, and short story writer known for his works depicting rural life in Ireland, such as "The Field" and "The Bodhrán Makers."

The name Keane has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Keenaghan (Cill Ó gCatháin) in County Armagh and Keenahan (Cill Ó gCatháin) in County Sligo, both of which derive from the Irish Gaelic form of the surname.

Furthermore, the name has been recorded with various spellings throughout history, including Cahan, Cahan, Keahan, and Cahen, among others, reflecting the phonetic variations and regional dialects of Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keane

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Keane.

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Keane was:

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 Keane has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

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 Keane was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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