2000
#4,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,255
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.69
Rare Last name
Mckeon
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Eoghain," meaning "son of Eoghan" (Owen), a popular medieval Irish name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,084 Americans carry the last name Mckeon. That puts it at #4,856 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,399 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckeon 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 Mckeon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,399
Census rank
#4,856
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,050 bearers of the surname Mckeon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4856th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckeon
The surname McKeon is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Mac Eidhghein," which means "son of Eidhghein," a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "eidhe," meaning "guest" or "visitor."
The name was prominent in counties Monaghan and Cavan in the province of Ulster, Ireland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns of Ireland, where it appeared as "McKeon" in 1594.
In the 17th century, the McKeons were among the families who lost their lands during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland and the subsequent Plantation of Ulster. Many McKeons were forced to migrate or seek refuge in other parts of Ireland or abroad.
One notable historical figure with the surname McKeon was John McKeon, a Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe from 1598 to 1609. He was actively involved in the Irish Confederate Wars and played a significant role in the defense of Munster against the English forces.
Another prominent McKeon was James McKeon (1790-1867), an Irish-American political figure who served as the 10th Mayor of New York City from 1851 to 1853. He was also a successful businessman and real estate developer.
In the 18th century, the McKeon family produced several notable writers and intellectuals, including Hugh McKeon (1736-1818), an Irish Catholic priest, scholar, and linguist who is known for his work on preserving the Irish language and culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the McKeon surname in the United States can be found in the records of the Maryland Province Archives, where a Patrick McKeon is mentioned as a landowner in Baltimore County in 1692.
Other notable McKeons throughout history include:
1. Thomas McKeon (1805-1885), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 4th congressional district.
2. John McKeon (1913-1975), an American playwright and screenwriter best known for his work on the film "The Missouri Traveler" (1958).
3. Kevin McKeon (born 1954), an American actor and director known for his roles in films like "Caddyshack" (1980) and "Meatballs" (1979).
4. Stephen McKeon (born 1976), an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Bombers in the Australian Football League (AFL) from 1996 to 2008.
5. Sinéad McKeon (born 1986), an Irish actress known for her roles in films like "Sing Street" (2016) and the TV series "Domina" (2021).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckeon
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckeon 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 Mckeon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 6,465
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 277
- Two or more races2.7% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 75
- Black or African American0.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckeon
Mckeon 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
#4,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,283
+28 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Down 336 places
2020
#4,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,050
-233 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,503 | 7,255 | 2.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,839 | 7,283 | 2.47 | +28 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 336 places |
| 2020 | #4,856 | 7,050 | 2.36 | -233 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 17 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 Mckeon 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 | #4,839 | #4,856 | -0.4% |
| Count | 7,283 | 7,050 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.47 | 2.36 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckeon bearers went from 7,283 to 7,050 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,839 to #4,856.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mckeon
FAQ
Mckeon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckeon?
Name Census estimates that about 8,084 living Americans carry the surname Mckeon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,399 residents.
How common is Mckeon?
Mckeon ranks #4,856 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.36 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 7,050 people with the surname Mckeon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,084), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.36 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 Mckeon.
Has Mckeon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckeon went from 7,283 recorded bearers to 7,050. That is a decrease of 233 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,839 to #4,856.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckeon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Mckeon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (6,465 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckeon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Mckeon (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 Mckeon mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Eoghain," meaning "son of Eoghan" (Owen), a popular medieval Irish name. 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 Mckeon (2.36 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 Mckeon?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Mckeon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.