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

Keehan, 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 Keehan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keehan in America

Keehan is the 44872nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keehan surname appeared 478 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 Keehan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keehan 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 Keehan

The surname KEEHAN is of Irish origin, originating in the 16th century from the Gaelic name Ó Céithin, which means "descendant of Céithin." Céithin was an old Irish personal name derived from the word "ceit," meaning "principal" or "head."

The name KEEHAN is most commonly found in counties Leitrim and Roscommon in the province of Connacht, Ireland. The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1659 when a Patrick Keehan was listed in the Census of Ireland.

The name KEEHAN has several spelling variations, including Keehin, Keehan, Keehane, and Keehene, reflecting the changes in pronunciation and spelling over time. These variations were common in historical records due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

One of the earliest notable figures with the KEEHAN surname was Patrick Keehan, who was born in County Roscommon in 1765. He was a prominent figure in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, fighting against British rule in Ireland.

In the 19th century, Michael Keehan (1826-1901) was a prominent Irish-American businessman and philanthropist based in New York City. He made significant contributions to various charitable organizations and was known for his support of Irish immigrant communities.

Another notable figure was John Keehan (1848-1922), who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament representing the riding of King's County, Prince Edward Island, from 1900 to 1904.

The name KEEHAN can also be found in historical records from other parts of the world, such as Australia and New Zealand, reflecting the migration patterns of Irish immigrants during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the KEEHAN name was in the 1790 census, where James Keehan was listed as a resident of Pennsylvania.

While the KEEHAN surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history and connections to various regions and historical events, reflecting the diverse experiences of those who carried this name throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keehan

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

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

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

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