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

McKeown, 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 McKeown surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKeown in America

McKeown is the 4805th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKeown surname appeared 7,357 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McKeown.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKeown 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 McKeown

The surname McKeown is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic Mac Eogain, meaning "son of Eoghan". Eoghan was a personal name derived from the old Irish word "eughn", meaning "well-born". The prefix "Mac" is a Gaelic term meaning "son of".

This surname is particularly associated with County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. The name is believed to have originated from the Cenél nEógain, a branch of the Northern Uí Néill dynasty that ruled parts of Ulster.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, where it mentions a "MacEogain" in the year 1258. The surname is also mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century.

In the 16th century, the McKeowns were among the most powerful clans in County Tyrone, and their influence extended to parts of Donegal and Derry. The McKeown clan was led by chieftains who held significant lands and played a role in the political and military affairs of the region.

One notable figure from this period was Sir Brian McKeown, a renowned soldier who fought alongside the famous Irish leader Hugh O'Neill during the Nine Years' War against English forces in the late 16th century. Sir Brian McKeown was killed in battle in 1597.

Another prominent McKeown was Francis McKeown, a Catholic priest who lived in the 17th century. He played a significant role in preserving Irish language and culture during the turbulent period of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

In the 18th century, the McKeowns were among the many Irish families who suffered from the Penal Laws, which imposed severe restrictions on Catholics in Ireland. Despite these challenges, the name persisted, and several McKeowns achieved distinction in various fields.

One such individual was Bernard McKeown, a notable mathematician and astronomer born in County Tyrone in 1737. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and was elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy.

In the 19th century, James McKeown, born in 1800, was a prominent Irish nationalist and journalist who advocated for the repeal of the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKeown

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

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

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

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