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

Keegan, 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 Keegan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keegan in America

Keegan is the 3450th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keegan surname appeared 10,354 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 Keegan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keegan 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 Keegan

The surname Keegan originated in Ireland and is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Ciadhain. It is derived from the old Irish word "ciadh," meaning "celebrated" or "famous."

The name can be traced back to the 10th century, with early written records showing variations such as O'Keegan, O'Keaghan, and O'Keigan. It was particularly prominent in County Tipperary, where the Ó Ciadhain clan held territory and influence.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Muircheartach Ó Ciadhain, a 12th-century Irish poet and historian. His writings are considered valuable sources of information about Irish history and culture during that period.

In the 16th century, the Keegan name appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Conquest, which were records of land grants and pardons issued by the English Crown in Ireland. This suggests that some members of the Ó Ciadhain clan had their lands confiscated and were later pardoned or granted new lands.

Notable figures with the surname Keegan include John Keegan (1934-2012), a renowned British military historian and author of seminal works such as "The Face of Battle" and "A History of Warfare." Another is Seán Keegan (1923-2007), an Irish actor who appeared in many films and television shows, including "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and "Brideshead Revisited."

In the realm of sports, Phil Keegan (1886-1926) was an Australian cricketer who played for the Australian national team in the early 20th century. Joseph Keegan (1899-1954) was an American professional baseball player who pitched for several Major League Baseball teams, including the Boston Red Sox and the New York Giants.

Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Keegan (1917-1984), an American Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Arlington, Virginia, from 1974 to 1983.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keegan

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

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

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

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