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

Keough, 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 Keough surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keough in America

Keough is the 7243rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keough surname appeared 4,605 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Keough.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keough 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 Keough

The surname Keough has its roots in Ireland, originating from the Irish Gaelic surname "Ó Ciadhóg." This name is derived from the personal name "Ciadhóg," which means "descendant of the celebrated one." The name can be traced back to the early medieval period in Ireland, around the 9th or 10th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in ancient Irish annals and manuscripts, such as the Annals of the Four Masters. One notable mention is of Aodh Ua Ciadhóg, a chieftain of the Uí Bhreasail clan in the 11th century.

As the name spread across Ireland, it underwent various spelling variations, including Keough, Kehoe, Keogh, and Keogh. These variations emerged due to the anglicization of Irish names during the English conquest of Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries.

One significant figure bearing this surname was William Keogh (1756-1832), an Irish politician and judge who served as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Another notable individual was John Keogh (1681-1752), an Irish merchant and landowner who played a prominent role in the Irish Catholic Committee, advocating for Catholic rights in Ireland.

The name Keough also found its way into the arts, with the Irish novelist and playwright Kathleen Keough (1915-1997) being a prominent figure in the literary world. In the field of sports, the American professional baseball player Evan Keough (born 1990) has made a name for himself as a pitcher in the minor leagues.

It is worth mentioning that the surname Keough has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Keogh's Cross in County Galway and Keoghville in County Limerick, further solidifying its deep-rooted connection to the Irish landscape and history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keough

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

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

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

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