The Kean surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,408 people carried this name — #7,543 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 67,100 people counted. That is up 8% from 4,072 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Kean surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the keen’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Hugh le Kene, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Kean, Keen, Keene, Keane and Kene.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 440 · public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Kean was recorded 21 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1107th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 34. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Kean in American newspapers,
1905–1906.

Newspaper page from Santa Fe New Mexican carrying the name Kean
Santa Fe New Mexican 1905-04-17
Newspaper page from The Spokane Press carrying the name Kean
The Spokane Press 1906-01-14

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Kean in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

62,796 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kean. The most, 10,190, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 28,354
New South Wales 15,871
Queensland 7,434
Tasmania 4,761
South Australia 3,698
Western Australia 2,402
ACT (Canberra) 217
Northern Territory 32

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kean.

Who carried it

People named Kean,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Kean
    John Kean 1756–1795 · politician
  • Edmund Kean
    Edmund Kean 1787–1833 · actor
  • Ellen Kean
    Ellen Kean 1805–1880 · actor
  • Charles Kean
    Charles Kean 1811–1868 · actor
  • Robert Garlick Hill Kean
    Robert Garlick Hill Kean 1828–1898 · lawyer
  • Geraldine Mary Kean d. 1910

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kean,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,728 records

1,728 records of the Kean name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 806
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 290
  • Other U.S. records 632
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Kenneth L. Kean

    Born 1922 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1942 at Pittsburgh; machine shop worker. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Forest Lawn Gardens Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Kean

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the City of Chicago from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 40; laborer. From Annoyt, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Billie Orr Kean

    Born 1942; from Alexandria, Ohio. U.S. Marine Corps, infantry unit leader; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,728 records for Kean in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia1,101 records

1,101 records of the Kean name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 390
  • Tasmanian Names Index 356
  • Other Australian records 355
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Emma Kean

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Elizabeth & Henry, sailing from London in 1846. Native of Bath, Somerset. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Kean

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Woodbridge, sailing from London in 1843. Native of Antrim. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Hugh Kean

    Died 1848 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 47. Will registered in Tasmania in 1848.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,101 records for Kean in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada102 records

102 records of the Kean name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 54
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 15
  • Other Canadian records 33
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Kean

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Circassian, landing at Halifax, bound for St. Mary's, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Edith Kean

    Buried in 1987 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 93.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Alfred Kean

    Died 1972 in Dartmouth, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 102 records for Kean in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom24 records

24 records of the Kean name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 11
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 7
  • Stirling Council burial records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Kean

    Buried in 1911 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 95.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Kean

    Buried in 1850 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 44.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Kean

    Gordon Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 24 records for Kean in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland11 records

11 records of the Kean name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Kean

    Died 1833, aged 50; buried at Drumacoo, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ellen Kean

    Died 1911, aged 85; buried at Clonburn, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patt Kean

    Died 1835, aged 28; buried at Oranmore (Medieval), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Kean in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands7 records

7 records of the Kean name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mathilde Kean

    Married in 1921 in Heerlen; merchant, born 1900 in Luik, Belgium. Died 1948 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Liza Kean

    Born 1917 in Best. Died 1917 in Raamsdonk.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charles Kean

    Died 1883 in Utrecht, aged 30.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Kean in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand6 records

6 records of the Kean name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Kean

    Died 1980, aged 86; buried at Lyttelton Catholic Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Francis Kean

    Died 1918, aged 40; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Kean in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Kean name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles Thomas Kean

    Born 1941 in the United States; died 1999 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Joseph Kean

    Born 1909 in Bossendorf; died 1977 in Hochfelden (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kean.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kean is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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