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

Killeen, 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 Killeen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Killeen in America

Killeen is the 10245th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Killeen surname appeared 3,146 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 Killeen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Killeen 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 Killeen

The surname Killeen is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "Coill" meaning "woods" and "Fionn" meaning "fair" or "white". It is believed to have originated in County Kilkenny, Ireland, in the early medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Killeen can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historic chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The text refers to a clan called "Ua Coilléin" (descendants of Coillén) who were based in the Ossory region of County Kilkenny.

The Killeen surname is also associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Killeen Castle in County Meath and the town of Killeen in County Laois. These place names reflect the Gaelic roots of the surname, referring to areas with notable forests or woodlands.

Some notable historical figures with the surname Killeen include:

1. Christopher Killeen (1670-1744), an Irish Catholic priest and philosopher who taught at the University of Louvain in the early 18th century.

2. Michael Killeen (1821-1898), an Irish-born settler in Australia who became a prominent businessman and landowner in Victoria.

3. Thomas Killeen (1860-1934), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1913 to 1923.

4. Patrick Killeen (1887-1961), an Irish revolutionary who participated in the Easter Rising of 1916 and later became a prominent figure in the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

5. Mary Killeen (1904-1978), an Irish writer and playwright who authored several works exploring themes of Irish identity and rural life.

While the Killeen surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly to the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Killeen

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

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

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

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