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

McKeever, 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 McKeever surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKeever in America

McKeever is the 4642nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKeever surname appeared 7,647 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname McKeever.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKeever 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 McKeever

The surname McKeever originated in Ireland and is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac Fhithbheartaigh, meaning "son of the prudent one." It is derived from the Irish words "fith" meaning "wise" and "beart" meaning "deed" or "prudent." The name is most closely associated with County Donegal in Ulster, where it was first found in the 14th century.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it is mentioned in an entry dated 1336. The name is also found in various Irish manuscripts and records from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Hearth Money Rolls.

In the late 16th century, the McKeever family held lands in the parish of Clondavaddog, County Donegal. One notable member was Phelim McKeever, who was involved in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and was later pardoned by the English government.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many McKeever families were displaced from their ancestral lands and some migrated to other parts of Ireland or to Scotland. This dispersal led to various spellings of the name, including McKeever, McKeaver, and McKever.

A prominent figure in the 17th century was Bernard McKeever (c. 1620-1687), an Irish Franciscan friar and historian who wrote a chronicle of the Irish province of the Franciscan order. Another notable McKeever was Owen McKeever (1699-1780), a Catholic priest and educator who established one of the first Catholic schools in Ireland after the Penal Laws were relaxed.

In the 18th century, the McKeever family produced several notable figures, including Patrick McKeever (1743-1823), a Catholic priest and author, and Andrew McKeever (1760-1845), a United Irishman who was involved in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

During the 19th century, the McKeever name spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, as many Irish people emigrated due to famine and economic hardship. One notable figure from this period was John McKeever (1828-1902), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKeever

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

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

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

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