The Keeley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,578 people carried this name — #6,141 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 52,900 people counted. That is up 8% from 5,166 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Keeley surname

Reduced Anglicized from Irish Ó Caollaidhe (“descendant of Caollaidhe”), a personal name based on the adjective caol (“slender, graceful”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Keeley» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Keighley’.

His entry covers Keeley, Kealey and Keely.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 441 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Keeley was counted together with Keely: 17 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 104 people lived in those households, 6.1 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Keely, Keeley, Keelley, Keelly. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 11
Virginia 2
North Carolina 2
Maine 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 248 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Keeley in American newspapers,
1881–1905.

Newspaper page from The Sentinel carrying the name Keeley
The Sentinel 1881-05-14
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Keeley
Evening Star 1905-07-16
Newspaper page from New-york Tribune carrying the name Keeley
New-york Tribune 1905-07-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 93,033 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Keeley in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

10,206 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Keeley. The most, 2,486, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 2.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,838
Victoria 2,378
Western Australia 1,844
Queensland 1,286
South Australia 1,069
Tasmania 515
ACT (Canberra) 263
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Keeley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Keeley
    John Keeley 1849–1930 · painter
  • John Keeley
    John Keeley 1849–1930 · painter
  • James Edward Keeler
    James Edward Keeler 1857–1900 · astronomer
  • James Keeley
    James Keeley 1867–1934 · editor
  • Mary Paxton Keeley
    Mary Paxton Keeley 1886–1986 · journalist
  • Frank James Keeley 1868–1949 · botanist

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 Keeley,
in the records of 6 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 States1,147 records

1,147 records of the Keeley name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 411
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 225
  • Other U.S. records 511
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Charles E. Keeley

    Born 1931; from Jefferson County, Kentucky. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in South Korea. Buried at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Richard G. Keeley

    Born 1921 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Rochester; bank clerk from Monroe County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Rochester, New York.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 24; house maid. From Liverpool; bound for Chicago.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,147 records for Keeley in the United States.

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

Australia255 records

255 records of the Keeley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 113
  • Tasmanian Names Index 39
  • Other Australian records 103
  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 Francis Keeley

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Surry, arriving 1836; ticket of leave 1841. Native of Louth Co.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Keeley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Tudor, aged 30; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Aloysius Keeley

    Gentleman of Box Hill Nth, Victoria; died 1964.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 255 records for Keeley 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada30 records

30 records of the Keeley name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 7
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 7
  • Other Canadian records 16
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Keeley

    Came to Ontario in 1876 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Portland, bound for Bradford, Ontario; Irish.

    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 Charles Keeley

    Buried in 1976 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 96.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James F. Keeley

    Died 1922 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 30 records for Keeley in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. 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 Kingdom16 records

16 records of the Keeley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 12
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maria Keeley

    Buried in 1851 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 66.

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

    Royal Irish Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maria Keeley

    Buried in 1851 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 42.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 16 records for Keeley 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. 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).

New Zealand6 records

6 records of the Keeley name in New Zealand
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 4
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Albert Montague Keeley

    Died 1952, aged 68; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record P. Keeley

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Harry Cutts Keeley

    Died 1921, aged 53; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Keeley in New Zealand.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Ireland3 records

3 records of the Keeley name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maire Keeley

    Died 1997; buried at Dunmore, 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 Mary Keeley

    Died 1985; buried at Drumacoo, 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 Bridget Keeley

    Died 1963; buried at Dunmore, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Keeley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Keeley 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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