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

McKeen, 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 McKeen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKeen in America

McKeen is the 12961st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKeen surname appeared 2,370 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 McKeen.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKeen 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 McKeen

The surname McKeen is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic name "MacIan" or "MacKeyne," which translates to "son of Iain" or "son of Keyne." The name can be traced back to the late 12th century in the highlands of Scotland.

The earliest known record of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "John McKene, del counte de Ayr" refers to a John McKeen from the county of Ayr.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "McKene," "McKeen," and "McKean," in various Scottish records and charters. One notable example is Sir Robert McKene, who served as a Commissioner for the County of Ayr in 1364.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McKeen family held lands in Argyllshire and the Hebrides islands. Prominent members included Angus McKeen, a supporter of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, and Donald McKeen, a noted scholar and minister who was born in 1591 and died in 1662.

In the late 17th century, the McKeen name began to spread beyond Scotland, with some members migrating to Ireland and the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was James McKeen, who was born in Ireland in 1658 and later settled in New Hampshire, becoming a prominent landowner and civic leader.

Another notable figure was Joseph McKeen, who was born in 1757 in Londonderry, New Hampshire. He served as the first president of Bowdoin College in Maine from 1802 until his death in 1807. The college's McKeen Center for the Common Good is named in his honor.

In the 19th century, the McKeen name appeared in various parts of the United States, with families settling in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. One notable bearer was James McKeen, a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, who was born in 1826 and died in 1879.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKeen

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

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

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

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