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

Keena, 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 Keena surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keena in America

Keena is the 27869th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keena surname appeared 861 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 Keena.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keena 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 Keena

The surname Keena has its origins in Ireland, specifically in the western province of Connacht. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "caoine" which means "weeping" or "lamentation." The name likely emerged as a descriptive nickname for someone who was particularly sorrowful or prone to crying.

In ancient Irish records, the name was often spelled as "O'Caoine" or "O'Caoineadha," indicating its roots as a patrynomic surname. The prefix "O'" signified "descendant of" or "grandson of." This naming convention was common among Gaelic Irish clans and families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a man named Fearghal O'Caoineadha who lived in the 13th century and was a notable scholar and poet.

The name Keena is also associated with various place names in Ireland, particularly in counties Mayo and Sligo. For example, the townland of Keenagh in County Sligo was once known as "Caoine" or "Caoinedha," reflecting the surname's local significance.

Notable historical figures with the surname Keena include:

1. Toirdhealbhach O'Caoineadha (c. 1520 - c. 1600), an Irish poet and historian from County Mayo.
2. Aodh O'Caoineadha (fl. 1650s), an Irish physician and writer from County Sligo.
3. Eoghan Keena (1765 - 1828), an Irish rebel and participant in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
4. Michael Keena (1804 - 1889), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War.
5. Patrick Keena (1834 - 1898), an Irish-American carpenter and union leader who played a significant role in the labor movement in New York City.

While the surname has evolved over time, with various spellings such as Keena, Keenaghan, and Keenan, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Irish clans and their tradition of descriptive and patrynomic surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keena

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

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

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

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