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

Keleher, 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 Keleher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keleher in America

Keleher is the 20047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keleher surname appeared 1,334 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 Keleher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keleher 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 Keleher

The surname Keleher originated in Ireland, with its roots tracing back to the ancient Gaelic clan of O'Ceallachair. This name is derived from the Irish words "ceall" meaning "church" and "achaire" meaning "dweller." Thus, the name Keleher likely referred to someone who lived near a church or monastery.

The earliest known records of the Keleher surname can be found in County Kerry, Ireland, where the O'Ceallachair clan was based. The name appeared in various forms, including O'Keleher, O'Ceallachair, and Keleher, in medieval Irish annals and manuscripts.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Keleher surname was Donal O'Ceallachair, a prominent member of the O'Ceallachair clan, who lived in the 13th century. Another notable figure was Tadhg O'Ceallachair, a Irish poet and scholar who lived in the 15th century.

As the name spread beyond County Kerry, it evolved into different spellings, such as Keleher, Kelleher, and Kelliher. These variations were influenced by the local dialects and anglicization of Irish names in different regions of Ireland.

In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Irish families, including the Kelehers, were displaced from their ancestral lands. Some Kelehers emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas, carrying their surname with them.

One notable individual with the Keleher surname was John Keleher, an Irish-American author and journalist, who was born in 1828 and wrote extensively about Irish culture and history.

Another prominent figure was Patrick Keleher, an Irish-Canadian businessman and politician, who was born in 1854 and served as a member of the Canadian Parliament.

In the 19th century, the Keleher surname also appeared in literary works, such as the novel "The Kellehers of Ballymore" by Irish author Rosa Mulholland, published in 1888.

Throughout history, the Keleher surname has been associated with various occupations, from clergy and scholars to writers and politicians, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keleher

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

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

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

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