2000
#7,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Keough
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Eochaidh," meaning "son of Eochaidh" (a personal name meaning "horseman").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,056 Americans carry the last name Keough. That puts it at #7,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,792 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keough 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 Keough with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,792
Census rank
#7,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,409 bearers of the surname Keough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keough, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keough
Among Census respondents with the surname Keough, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Keough 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 Keough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 4,017
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 170
- Two or more races3.2% · 140
- Black or African American1.0% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keough
Keough 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
#7,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,605
+194 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 237 places
2020
#7,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,409
-196 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,006 | 4,411 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,243 | 4,605 | 1.56 | +194 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 237 places |
| 2020 | #7,292 | 4,409 | 1.48 | -196 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 49 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 Keough 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 | #7,243 | #7,292 | -0.7% |
| Count | 4,605 | 4,409 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.48 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keough bearers went from 4,605 to 4,409 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,243 to #7,292.
FAQ
Keough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keough?
Name Census estimates that about 5,056 living Americans carry the surname Keough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,792 residents.
How common is Keough?
Keough ranks #7,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,409 people with the surname Keough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Keough.
Has Keough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keough went from 4,605 recorded bearers to 4,409. That is a decrease of 196 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,243 to #7,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Keough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keough, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Keough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (4,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Keough (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 Keough mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Eochaidh," meaning "son of Eochaidh" (a personal name meaning "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 Keough (1.48 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 are called Keough?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Keough, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.