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

Keaney, 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 Keaney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keaney in America

Keaney is the 17958th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keaney surname appeared 1,556 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Keaney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keaney 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 Keaney

The surname Keaney is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name O'Cathain. The name traces its roots back to County Derry in Ulster, Northern Ireland, where it was first recorded in the 12th century.

The name O'Cathain is believed to have originated from the Irish words "cath" meaning battle and "an" meaning a person. It was likely given to someone who was a warrior or a skilled fighter in battle. Over time, the spelling evolved to Keaney, Keany, and other variations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keaney can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1201, the annals mention a "Gilla-na-naem O'Cathain" who was involved in a conflict with the O'Neills, a prominent Irish clan.

In the 16th century, the Keaney family was prominent in the Barony of Keenaght, which was part of County Derry. This area is believed to be the ancestral homeland of the Keaneys, and the name of the barony is likely derived from the surname itself.

Notable individuals with the surname Keaney include:

1. William Keaney (1849-1925), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey.
2. Michael Keaney (1891-1956), an Irish hurler who played for the Kilkenny senior hurling team and won three All-Ireland medals.
3. Gertrude Keaney (1899-1967), an American professional baseball player who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II.
4. John Keaney (1881-1946), an Irish-American labor leader who served as the president of the United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union.
5. Patrick Keaney (1927-2014), an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Cavan senior football team and won an All-Ireland medal in 1952.

While the name Keaney has been documented in historical records and annals, its presence in major works like the Domesday Book or other ancient manuscripts is uncertain. However, the surname's deep roots in Irish history and its evolution from the original Gaelic form O'Cathain are well-established.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keaney

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

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

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

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