Keane
Of Irish origin, meaning "ancient" or "descending from an old family".
Name Census estimates that about 1,430 living Americans carry the first name Keane. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Keane today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keane births was 2007 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keane. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Keane with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 239,688 Americans
Peak year
2007
60 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,632
Tracked since 1950
Census
Keane in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,422 people with the first name Keane, which placed it at #9,680 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#9,680
National first-name rank
People counted
1.4K
1,422 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
51.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keane
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Keane is White at 51.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.7%) and Black (13.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Keane 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Keane at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.4% · 731
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.7% · 223
- Black or African American13.6% · 193
- Two or more races9.4% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino8.6% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 19
Popularity
Keane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keane from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 380 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keane by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Keane during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Keanes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Hawaii, Texas recorded the most babies named Keane, while New York, Pennsylvania, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 38 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Keane
The name Keane originates from the Irish Gaelic language and culture, with its roots dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Irish word "caomh," which means "handsome" or "gentle." The name was initially spelled as "Caomhán" or "Caomhánach" in its original Gaelic form.
In ancient Irish mythology, Keane is believed to be associated with the legend of Caomhán, a warrior chieftain known for his bravery and leadership skills. This connection suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals who exhibited similar qualities of courage and strength.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Keane can be traced back to the 9th century, when it was commonly used among the Irish nobility and ruling families. Historical records show that several prominent figures bore this name during the Middle Ages, including Keane Ó Loughlin, a renowned Irish poet and scholar from the 12th century.
One of the most notable individuals with the name Keane was Saint Keane of Glendalough, who lived in the 6th century AD. He was a renowned Irish monk, scholar, and founder of the monastic settlement at Glendalough, which became a significant center of learning and spirituality in medieval Ireland.
Another prominent figure bearing the name Keane was John Keane, an Irish-American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1740 and played a crucial role in several battles, including the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Monmouth.
In the realm of literature, Keane O'Hara was an Irish poet and writer from the late 19th century, known for his works that celebrated Irish culture and heritage. He was born in 1859 and his poetry helped to preserve and promote the rich traditions of Ireland.
Moving into the 20th century, John Keane, born in 1949, was a distinguished British political theorist and professor who made significant contributions to the study of democracy and civil society. His works explored the complexities of political systems and the importance of democratic values.
Throughout history, the name Keane has been associated with individuals who have demonstrated strength, courage, and a connection to their Irish roots. Its origins and historical references highlight the cultural significance and enduring legacy of this name within the Irish tradition.
People
Keane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keane as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Keane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,430 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keane going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 239,688 US residents.
Is Keane a common name?
We classify Keane as "Rare". It ranks above 92.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,474 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keane most popular?
The single biggest year for Keane was 2007, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keane is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Keane in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,422 people with the name Keane, or 0.47 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,680 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Keane in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Keane?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Keane leans strongly male. 1,335 people counted with this name were male (94.1%), compared with 84 female bearers (5.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Keane?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Keane is White at 51.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.7%) and Black (13.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Keane most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Keane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.4% (731 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Keane in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keane a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keane in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Keane still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keane in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Keane can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Keane as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.