2000
#12,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,181
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Mckeen
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a keeper of hounds or a maker of hound collars.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,346 Americans carry the last name Mckeen. That puts it at #14,094 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,102 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckeen 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 Mckeen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,102
Census rank
#14,094
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,046 bearers of the surname Mckeen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14094th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckeen
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckeen 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 Mckeen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,861
- Two or more races3.2% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 25
- Black or African American1.0% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckeen
Mckeen 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
#12,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,370
+189 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#14,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,046
-324 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,919 | 2,181 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,961 | 2,370 | 0.80 | +189 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #14,094 | 2,046 | 0.68 | -324 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 1,133 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 Mckeen 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 | #12,961 | #14,094 | -8.7% |
| Count | 2,370 | 2,046 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.68 | -14.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckeen bearers went from 2,370 to 2,046 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 1,133 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,961 to #14,094.
FAQ
Mckeen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckeen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,346 living Americans carry the surname Mckeen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,102 residents.
How common is Mckeen?
Mckeen ranks #14,094 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,046 people with the surname Mckeen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,346), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Mckeen.
Has Mckeen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckeen went from 2,370 recorded bearers to 2,046. That is a decrease of 324 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,961 to #14,094.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckeen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mckeen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,861 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckeen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Mckeen (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 Mckeen mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a keeper of hounds or a maker of hound collars. 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 Mckeen (0.68 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 Mckeen?
You can see how many people have the last name Mckeen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.