2000
#3,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,622
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.94
Uncommon Last name
Keane
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Catháin, meaning "descendant of Cathán," a personal name derived from "cath," meaning "battle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,253 Americans carry the last name Keane. That puts it at #3,304 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,973 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keane 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 Keane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,973
Census rank
#3,304
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,685 bearers of the surname Keane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3304th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keane, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keane
The surname Keane is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Catháin, which originated in County Tyrone, Ireland. The name derives from the old Irish word 'cath,' meaning battle or warrior.
Ó Catháin is believed to have originated in the 11th century and is historically associated with the ancient Irish territory of Airghialla, located in the modern-day counties of Armagh, Monaghan, and Fermanagh. The name is mentioned in various Irish annals, such as the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of the Four Masters.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Murchadh Ó Catháin, a prominent chieftain who lived in the 12th century. He is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster in the year 1166, where he is referred to as "Ua Cathain."
In the 16th century, the name Keane appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns of Ireland, which were legal documents issued by the English Crown. The name was also found in the Plantation of Ulster records from the early 17th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Keane. One of the most famous was John Keane (1781-1844), an Irish-born British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became Governor of St. Lucia and Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Joseph Keane (1839-1918), an American prelate who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, and later became the Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa.
In the literary world, John Brendan Keane (1928-2002) was an Irish novelist, playwright, and short story writer known for his works depicting rural life in Ireland, such as "The Field" and "The Bodhrán Makers."
The name Keane has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Keenaghan (Cill Ó gCatháin) in County Armagh and Keenahan (Cill Ó gCatháin) in County Sligo, both of which derive from the Irish Gaelic form of the surname.
Furthermore, the name has been recorded with various spellings throughout history, including Cahan, Cahan, Keahan, and Cahen, among others, reflecting the phonetic variations and regional dialects of Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keane
Among Census respondents with the surname Keane, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Keane 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 Keane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 9,715
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 389
- Two or more races2.7% · 290
- Black or African American1.4% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keane
Keane 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
#3,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,459
+837 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 3.88
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#3,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,685
-774 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 3.57
Rank movement Down 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,121 | 10,622 | 3.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,154 | 11,459 | 3.88 | +837 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #3,304 | 10,685 | 3.57 | -774 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 150 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 Keane 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 | #3,154 | #3,304 | -4.8% |
| Count | 11,459 | 10,685 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.88 | 3.57 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keane bearers went from 11,459 to 10,685 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,154 to #3,304.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Keane
FAQ
Keane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keane?
Name Census estimates that about 12,253 living Americans carry the surname Keane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,973 residents.
How common is Keane?
Keane ranks #3,304 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,685 people with the surname Keane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Keane.
Has Keane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keane went from 11,459 recorded bearers to 10,685. That is a decrease of 774 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,154 to #3,304.
What does the Census say about the background of Keane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keane, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) 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 Keane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (9,715 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), 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 Keane (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 Keane mean?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Catháin, meaning "descendant of Cathán," a personal name derived from "cath," meaning "battle." 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 Keane (3.57 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 have the surname Keane?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.