2000
#3,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,662
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.58
Uncommon Last name
Keegan
Derived from the Irish surname "Mac Aodhagáin," meaning "descendant of Aodhagán," a personal name meaning "little fire."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,900 Americans carry the last name Keegan. That puts it at #3,643 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keegan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Keegan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,445
Census rank
#3,643
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,505 bearers of the surname Keegan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3643rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keegan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keegan
Among Census respondents with the surname Keegan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Keegan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Keegan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 8,709
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 332
- Two or more races3.0% · 284
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 88
- Black or African American0.7% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keegan
Keegan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,354
+692 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 3.51
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#3,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,505
-849 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 3.18
Rank movement Down 193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,388 | 9,662 | 3.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,450 | 10,354 | 3.51 | +692 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #3,643 | 9,505 | 3.18 | -849 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 193 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Keegan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,450 | #3,643 | -5.6% |
| Count | 10,354 | 9,505 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.51 | 3.18 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keegan bearers went from 10,354 to 9,505 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 193 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,450 to #3,643.
FAQ
Keegan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keegan?
Name Census estimates that about 10,900 living Americans carry the surname Keegan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,445 residents.
How common is Keegan?
Keegan ranks #3,643 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,505 people with the surname Keegan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,900), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Keegan.
Has Keegan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keegan went from 10,354 recorded bearers to 9,505. That is a decrease of 849 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,450 to #3,643.
What does the Census say about the background of Keegan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keegan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Keegan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (8,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keegan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Keegan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Keegan mean?
Derived from the Irish surname "Mac Aodhagáin," meaning "descendant of Aodhagán," a personal name meaning "little fire." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Keegan (3.18 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Keegan?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Keegan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.