2000
#11,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,558
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Keogh
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Eochu," meaning "horse" or "knight," likely referring to a skilled horseman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,210 Americans carry the last name Keogh. That puts it at #10,874 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,777 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keogh 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 Keogh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,777
Census rank
#10,874
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,799 bearers of the surname Keogh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10874th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keogh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keogh
The surname Keogh has its origins in Ireland and is derived from the Irish Gaelic word 'Eochadha', meaning 'horse-servant' or 'horse-keeper'. This name was initially given as a descriptive term to someone who worked with horses or tended to them.
In the early medieval period, the name Keogh was concentrated in County Carlow and County Kilkenny, located in the southeast of Ireland. The Keoghs were part of the Gaelic nobility and played a prominent role in the area's history.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Keogh can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, the Keoghs are mentioned as belonging to the Uí Bairrche, a powerful family in Leinster.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Keogh family faced significant challenges due to the Tudor and Cromwellian conquests of Ireland. Many Keoghs were dispossessed of their lands and forced to relocate. Despite these hardships, the name persevered.
Notable individuals with the surname Keogh include John Keogh (1650-1726), an Irish Catholic lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Enniscorthy. Another prominent figure was John Keogh (1681-1754), a Catholic theologian and writer who published works on the history of Ireland.
In the 19th century, John Keogh (1817-1878) was a prominent Irish nationalist politician and Member of Parliament for Athlone. He played a significant role in the campaign for Irish Home Rule.
The name Keogh has also been associated with places in Ireland. For example, Keoghville, a village in County Westmeath, takes its name from the Keogh family who were once landowners in the area.
While the Keogh name has spread globally due to Irish emigration, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic families of Ireland, particularly in the southeastern counties of Carlow and Kilkenny.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keogh
Among Census respondents with the surname Keogh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Keogh 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 Keogh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,547
- Two or more races3.8% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keogh
Keogh 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
#11,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,612
+54 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 636 places
2020
#10,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,799
+187 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 1,091 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,329 | 2,558 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,965 | 2,612 | 0.89 | +54 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 636 places |
| 2020 | #10,874 | 2,799 | 0.94 | +187 bearers (+7.2%) | Up 1,091 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 Keogh 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 | #11,965 | #10,874 | 9.1% |
| Count | 2,612 | 2,799 | 7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.94 | 5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keogh bearers went from 2,612 to 2,799 (+7.2% change). The surname moved up 1,091 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,965 to #10,874.
FAQ
Keogh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keogh?
Name Census estimates that about 3,210 living Americans carry the surname Keogh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,777 residents.
How common is Keogh?
Keogh ranks #10,874 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,799 people with the surname Keogh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,210), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Keogh.
Has Keogh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keogh went from 2,612 recorded bearers to 2,799. That is an increase of 187 (+7.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,965 to #10,874.
What does the Census say about the background of Keogh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keogh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Keogh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,547 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keogh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Keogh (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 Keogh mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Eochu," meaning "horse" or "knight," likely referring to a skilled horseman. 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 Keogh (0.94 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 many people have the surname Keogh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.