2000
#4,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.67
Rare Last name
Mckeown
A variant of McEwan, an Irish and Scottish patronymic surname meaning "son of Eoghann" (born of the yew tree).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,112 Americans carry the last name Mckeown. That puts it at #4,837 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,253 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckeown 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 Mckeown with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,253
Census rank
#4,837
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,074 bearers of the surname Mckeown in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4837th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeown, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckeown
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeown, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckeown 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 Mckeown surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 6,392
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 251
- Two or more races3.3% · 231
- Black or African American1.9% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckeown
Mckeown 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
#4,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,357
+158 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Down 276 places
2020
#4,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,074
-283 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.37
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,529 | 7,199 | 2.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,805 | 7,357 | 2.49 | +158 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 276 places |
| 2020 | #4,837 | 7,074 | 2.37 | -283 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 32 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 Mckeown 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 | #4,805 | #4,837 | -0.7% |
| Count | 7,357 | 7,074 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.49 | 2.37 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckeown bearers went from 7,357 to 7,074 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,805 to #4,837.
FAQ
Mckeown surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckeown?
Name Census estimates that about 8,112 living Americans carry the surname Mckeown. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,253 residents.
How common is Mckeown?
Mckeown ranks #4,837 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.37 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 7,074 people with the surname Mckeown. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.37 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 Mckeown.
Has Mckeown become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckeown went from 7,357 recorded bearers to 7,074. That is a decrease of 283 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,805 to #4,837.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckeown?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckeown, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Mckeown in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (6,392 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckeown appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Mckeown (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 Mckeown mean?
A variant of McEwan, an Irish and Scottish patronymic surname meaning "son of Eoghann" (born of the yew tree). 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 Mckeown (2.37 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 Mckeown?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.