2000
#3,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,862
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.29
Rare Last name
Keeney
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Caonaigh, meaning "descendant of Caonach," a personal name derived from caon, meaning "gentle, mild."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,861 Americans carry the last name Keeney. That puts it at #4,009 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keeney 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 Keeney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,759
Census rank
#4,009
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,599 bearers of the surname Keeney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4009th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keeney
The surname Keeney originates from Ireland and is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Ó Ciadhna" or "Ciadhnach," which means "descendant of Cian." The name Cian was a personal name derived from the old Irish word "cian," meaning "ancient" or "enduring." The prefix "O" or "Ó" in Irish surnames indicates "descendant of."
The Keeney name can be traced back to the 11th century in County Longford, Ireland. It is believed that the Keeneys were among the ancient clans that ruled over parts of the Irish province of Connacht. Early recordings of the name include "O'Ciadhna" and "O'Kiadhna" in various Irish annals and manuscripts.
One of the earliest known references to the Keeney 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 "Donnell O'Kiadhna" who was slain in the year 1249 during a battle between Irish clans.
The Keeney name has also been associated with several historical figures, such as John Keeney, an Irish rebel who fought against the English during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. Another notable Keeney was Captain James Keeney, an Irish-born officer in the American Revolutionary War, who was born in 1747 and died in 1827.
Other notable individuals with the Keeney surname include Philip Keeney, an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist (1857-1938), and James Keeney, an American artist and painter (1889-1950). The name has also been linked to various place names in Ireland, such as Keenagh (derived from "Cian's place") in County Longford and Keenymore (derived from "Cian's great plain") in County Sligo.
Throughout history, the Keeney surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Keeney, Keeney, Keeny, Keaney, Keehan, and Keehen, among others. These variations can be attributed to the evolving pronunciation of the name over time, as well as the influence of different regional dialects in Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keeney
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Keeney 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 Keeney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 7,878
- Two or more races4.0% · 344
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 245
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 60
- Black or African American0.5% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keeney
Keeney 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
#3,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,294
+432 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Down 136 places
2020
#4,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,599
-695 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 2.88
Rank movement Down 196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,677 | 8,862 | 3.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,813 | 9,294 | 3.15 | +432 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 136 places |
| 2020 | #4,009 | 8,599 | 2.88 | -695 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 196 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 Keeney 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 | #3,813 | #4,009 | -5.1% |
| Count | 9,294 | 8,599 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.15 | 2.88 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keeney bearers went from 9,294 to 8,599 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 196 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,813 to #4,009.
FAQ
Keeney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keeney?
Name Census estimates that about 9,861 living Americans carry the surname Keeney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,759 residents.
How common is Keeney?
Keeney ranks #4,009 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.88 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 8,599 people with the surname Keeney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,861), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.88 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 Keeney.
Has Keeney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keeney went from 9,294 recorded bearers to 8,599. That is a decrease of 695 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,813 to #4,009.
What does the Census say about the background of Keeney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Keeney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (7,878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keeney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Keeney (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 Keeney mean?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Caonaigh, meaning "descendant of Caonach," a personal name derived from caon, meaning "gentle, mild." 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 Keeney (2.88 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 Keeney?
Want to know how many people have the surname Keeney? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.