2000
#27,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 836
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Keena
A Gaelic surname meaning "ancient" or "old".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,069 Americans carry the last name Keena. That puts it at #27,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 320,631 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keena 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 Keena with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 320,631
Census rank
#27,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
932
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 932 bearers of the surname Keena in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keena, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keena
The surname Keena has its origins in Ireland, specifically in the western province of Connacht. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "caoine" which means "weeping" or "lamentation." The name likely emerged as a descriptive nickname for someone who was particularly sorrowful or prone to crying.
In ancient Irish records, the name was often spelled as "O'Caoine" or "O'Caoineadha," indicating its roots as a patrynomic surname. The prefix "O'" signified "descendant of" or "grandson of." This naming convention was common among Gaelic Irish clans and families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a man named Fearghal O'Caoineadha who lived in the 13th century and was a notable scholar and poet.
The name Keena is also associated with various place names in Ireland, particularly in counties Mayo and Sligo. For example, the townland of Keenagh in County Sligo was once known as "Caoine" or "Caoinedha," reflecting the surname's local significance.
Notable historical figures with the surname Keena include:
1. Toirdhealbhach O'Caoineadha (c. 1520 - c. 1600), an Irish poet and historian from County Mayo.
2. Aodh O'Caoineadha (fl. 1650s), an Irish physician and writer from County Sligo.
3. Eoghan Keena (1765 - 1828), an Irish rebel and participant in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
4. Michael Keena (1804 - 1889), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War.
5. Patrick Keena (1834 - 1898), an Irish-American carpenter and union leader who played a significant role in the labor movement in New York City.
While the surname has evolved over time, with various spellings such as Keena, Keenaghan, and Keenan, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Irish clans and their tradition of descriptive and patrynomic surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keena
Among Census respondents with the surname Keena, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Keena 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 Keena surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 831
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 61
- Two or more races3.1% · 29
- Black or African American0.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keena
Keena 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
#27,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 861
+25 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 662 places
2020
#27,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 932
+71 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Up 468 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,207 | 836 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,869 | 861 | 0.29 | +25 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 662 places |
| 2020 | #27,401 | 932 | 0.31 | +71 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 468 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 Keena 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 | #27,869 | #27,401 | 1.7% |
| Count | 861 | 932 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.31 | 7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keena bearers went from 861 to 932 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 468 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,869 to #27,401.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Keena
FAQ
Keena surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keena?
Name Census estimates that about 1,069 living Americans carry the surname Keena. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 320,631 residents.
How common is Keena?
Keena ranks #27,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 932 people with the surname Keena. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,069), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Keena.
Has Keena become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keena went from 861 recorded bearers to 932. That is an increase of 71 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #27,869 to #27,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Keena?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keena, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Keena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (831 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keena appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Keena (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 Keena mean?
A Gaelic surname meaning "ancient" or "old". 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 Keena (0.31 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 Keena?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.