2000
#1,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,829
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.24
Uncommon Last name
Okeefe
An Irish surname referring to a descendant of Caoimh, derived from an Irish Gaelic word meaning "gentle" or "kind."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,185 Americans carry the last name Okeefe. That puts it at #2,100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,866 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Okeefe 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 Okeefe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,866
Census rank
#2,100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,730 bearers of the surname Okeefe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Okeefe, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Okeefe
The surname OKEEFE is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic Ó Caoimh, meaning "descendant of Caoimh". This name has its origins in County Cork, Ireland, dating back to the 11th century.
The name Caoimh is derived from the Irish word "caomh", meaning "gentle" or "kind". It was a common personal name in medieval Ireland, particularly in the province of Munster, where County Cork is located.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name OKEEFE can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by monks in the 12th century. The annals refer to several individuals with the name Ó Caoimh, indicating its widespread use in the region.
In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, many Irish surnames were anglicized, leading to the spelling variation OKEEFE. This spelling became more prevalent as English rule solidified in Ireland.
Notable individuals with the surname OKEEFE include John O'Keefe (1747-1833), an Irish dramatist and playwright known for his comedies such as "The Lie of the Day" and "The Agreeable Surprise". Another prominent figure was Patrick O'Keefe (1826-1913), an Irish-American builder and contractor who constructed several landmarks in New York City, including the Cathedral of St. Patrick.
Edmond O'Keefe (1864-1940) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. In the United States, Joseph O'Keefe (1864-1937) was a professional baseball player who played for several teams in the late 19th century.
More recently, Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) was a renowned American artist known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New Mexico landscapes, and modernist works. Although her surname is spelled differently, it shares the same Irish roots as OKEEFE.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Okeefe
Among Census respondents with the surname Okeefe, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Okeefe 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 Okeefe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 15,488
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 586
- Two or more races2.5% · 414
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 141
- Black or African American0.3% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Okeefe
Okeefe 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
#2,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,414
+585 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 5.90
Rank movement Down 113 places
2020
#2,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,730
-684 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.60
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,966 | 16,829 | 6.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,079 | 17,414 | 5.90 | +585 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 113 places |
| 2020 | #2,100 | 16,730 | 5.60 | -684 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 21 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 Okeefe 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 | #2,079 | #2,100 | -1.0% |
| Count | 17,414 | 16,730 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.90 | 5.60 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Okeefe bearers went from 17,414 to 16,730 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,079 to #2,100.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Okeefe
FAQ
Okeefe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Okeefe?
Name Census estimates that about 19,185 living Americans carry the surname Okeefe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,866 residents.
How common is Okeefe?
Okeefe ranks #2,100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,730 people with the surname Okeefe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,185), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Okeefe.
Has Okeefe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Okeefe went from 17,414 recorded bearers to 16,730. That is a decrease of 684 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,079 to #2,100.
What does the Census say about the background of Okeefe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Okeefe, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Okeefe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (15,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Okeefe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Okeefe (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 Okeefe mean?
An Irish surname referring to a descendant of Caoimh, derived from an Irish Gaelic word meaning "gentle" or "kind." 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 Okeefe (5.60 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 Okeefe?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Okeefe at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.