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

Keown, 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 Keown surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keown in America

Keown is the 10758th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keown surname appeared 2,965 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Keown.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keown 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 Keown

The surname Keown is believed to have originated in Ireland, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Cúáin or Ó Comhráin, which means "descendant of Cuán" or "descendant of Comhrán" respectively. These personal names were derived from the Old Irish words cúan, meaning "harbor," and comhrán, meaning "fellow-traveler."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Keown surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1285, a man named Domhnall Ó Cúáin is mentioned as the Lord of Uí Fiachrach Aidne, a territory located in what is now County Galway.

The Keown surname is particularly associated with County Mayo in the west of Ireland. It is believed that many bearers of the name can trace their ancestry back to the Ó Comhráin sept, a powerful clan that held lands around the town of Balla in the 13th and 14th centuries.

One notable historical figure with the surname Keown was Brian Keown, a Catholic priest and scholar who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Born in County Mayo around 1570, Keown studied at the Irish College in Salamanca, Spain, and later served as a professor of theology at the University of Salamanca.

Another individual of note was Philip Keown, a 17th-century Irish soldier who fought on the Royalist side during the English Civil War. Keown served under the Marquess of Ormond and was involved in several battles, including the Siege of Dublin in 1649.

In the 18th century, a man named John Keown gained recognition as a skilled architect and builder. Born in County Mayo around 1720, Keown was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the region, including the Church of Ireland in Ballina and the Nesbitt Arms Hotel in Ardnaree.

During the 19th century, the Keown surname spread beyond Ireland as many families emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly to England, the United States, and Australia. One prominent Australian with the name was John Keown, a politician and businessman who served as the Mayor of Sydney from 1875 to 1876.

Another notable figure was William Keown, a Scottish-born artist who lived from 1797 to 1863. Keown was known for his landscape paintings, many of which depicted scenes from the Scottish Highlands and the Lake District in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keown

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

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

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

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