2000
#4,412
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,433
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.76
Rare Last name
Mckeever
An Irish occupational surname referring to the son of a keeper of animals, especially horses or cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,068 Americans carry the last name Mckeever. That puts it at #4,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,483 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckeever 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 Mckeever with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,483
Census rank
#4,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,036 bearers of the surname Mckeever in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeever, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckeever
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeever, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckeever 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 Mckeever surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 5,712
- Black or African American11.5% · 811
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 259
- Two or more races2.7% · 191
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckeever
Mckeever 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
#4,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,647
+214 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#4,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,036
-611 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,412 | 7,433 | 2.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,642 | 7,647 | 2.59 | +214 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #4,867 | 7,036 | 2.35 | -611 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 225 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 Mckeever 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 | #4,642 | #4,867 | -4.8% |
| Count | 7,647 | 7,036 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.59 | 2.35 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckeever bearers went from 7,647 to 7,036 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 225 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,642 to #4,867.
FAQ
Mckeever surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckeever?
Name Census estimates that about 8,068 living Americans carry the surname Mckeever. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,483 residents.
How common is Mckeever?
Mckeever ranks #4,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,036 people with the surname Mckeever. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,068), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mckeever.
Has Mckeever become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckeever went from 7,647 recorded bearers to 7,036. That is a decrease of 611 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,642 to #4,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckeever?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeever, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Mckeever in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (5,712 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckeever appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Black (11.5%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Mckeever (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 Mckeever mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to the son of a keeper of animals, especially horses or cattle. 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 Mckeever (2.35 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 Americans have the surname Mckeever?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.