2000
#14,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,967
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Keehn
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kiene," referring to a pine tree or pinewood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,250 Americans carry the last name Keehn. That puts it at #14,585 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,335 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keehn 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 152,335
Census rank
#14,585
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,962 bearers of the surname Keehn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14585th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keehn
The surname KEEHN is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the Old High German word "kuon," meaning "bold" or "brave," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have been individuals known for their courageous or daring nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KEEHN surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 15th century. In this record, a certain Johannes Keehn is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Meissen, situated in the present-day state of Saxony.
The KEEHN surname was also present in the nearby regions of Austria and Switzerland during the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Keehn (1522-1587) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. His legacy can be traced through various historical records and municipal archives of that era.
As the KEEHN family spread across different parts of Germany, various variations in the spelling of the name emerged. Some of these variations include Kehn, Kehen, Keehn, and Kehnen. These alternative spellings can be found in various regional records and documents from the 16th to 18th centuries.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the KEEHN surname was Johann Keehn (1608-1673), a Lutheran theologian and academic who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. His published works on theology and philosophy were influential during that period.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Keehn (1774-1838), a German composer and music theorist from Saxony. He is renowned for his contributions to the development of the Harmonielehre, a theoretical work on harmony and composition.
In the 19th century, a prominent KEEHN was Wilhelm Keehn (1831-1901), a German military officer who served in the Prussian Army and later became a general in the Imperial German Army. He played a significant role in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.
The KEEHN surname can also be traced to various place names in Germany, such as Kehnert, a village in Saxony-Anhalt, and Kehnen, a municipality in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg in Hesse. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in their respective regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keehn
Among Census respondents with the surname Keehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Keehn 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 Keehn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,803
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 71
- Two or more races3.0% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keehn
Keehn 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
#14,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,011
+44 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 714 places
2020
#14,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,962
-49 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,054 | 1,967 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,768 | 2,011 | 0.68 | +44 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 714 places |
| 2020 | #14,585 | 1,962 | 0.66 | -49 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 183 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 Keehn 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 | #14,768 | #14,585 | 1.2% |
| Count | 2,011 | 1,962 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.66 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keehn bearers went from 2,011 to 1,962 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 183 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,768 to #14,585.
FAQ
Keehn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keehn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,250 living Americans carry the surname Keehn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,335 residents.
How common is Keehn?
Keehn ranks #14,585 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,962 people with the surname Keehn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,250), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Keehn.
Has Keehn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keehn went from 2,011 recorded bearers to 1,962. That is a decrease of 49 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,768 to #14,585.
What does the Census say about the background of Keehn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) 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 Keehn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keehn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), 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 Keehn (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 Keehn mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kiene," referring to a pine tree or pinewood. 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 Keehn (0.66 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 common is the surname Keehn?
If you just want to know how many people are called Keehn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.