The Keenan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 20,353 people carried this name — #1,765 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,500 people counted. That is up 6% from 19,275 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Keenan surname

A surname transferred from the given name.

From Irish Cianán, a diminutive of Cian.

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

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 103 births for the Keenan name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 4,600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Monaghan, Dublin, and Down.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 57
Leinster 34
Connacht 11
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 64 people named Keenan live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 36
City of Buenos Aires 15
Santa Fe 13

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

21 people named Keenan live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Geneva 10
Zug 4
Zurich 4
Valais 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

30 people named Keenan is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 30

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Keenan was recorded 75 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 354th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 107. 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

Keenan in American newspapers,
1888–1906.

Newspaper page from The Bennington Banner carrying the name Keenan
The Bennington Banner 1888-07-19
Newspaper page from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer carrying the name Keenan
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 1891-04-17
Newspaper page from The Telegraph-Courier carrying the name Keenan
The Telegraph-Courier 1906-03-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 128,431 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Keenan in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

46,242 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Keenan. The most, 13,548, 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 Western Australia, at 4.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Western Australia 21,468
New South Wales 9,975
Queensland 5,951
Victoria 5,278
South Australia 1,786
Tasmania 1,240
Northern Territory 238
ACT (Canberra) 235

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

Who carried it

People named Keenan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Patrick H. Keenan
    Patrick H. Keenan 1837–1907 · coroner
  • Henry Clay Keenan Sr.
    Henry Clay Keenan Sr. 1841–1920 · police detective
  • Frank Keenan
    Frank Keenan 1858–1929 · actor
  • Sir Norbert Michael Keenan
    Sir Norbert Michael Keenan 1864–1954 · politician
  • Harry Keenan
    Harry Keenan 1867–1944 · actor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 179 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Keenan,
in the records of 7 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 States7,467 records

7,467 records of the Keenan name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 3,046
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,746
  • Other U.S. records 2,675
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John D. Keenan

    Born 1905 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; mechanic from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1982, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    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 Katie Keenan

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 26; servant. From Kerry, 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 Lawrence John Keenan

    Born 1946; from Ryan, Iowa. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Long An, South Vietnam.

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

Showing 3 of 7,467 records for Keenan 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. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). 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).

Australia1,294 records

1,294 records of the Keenan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 552
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 248
  • Other Australian records 494
  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 Jane Keenan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Phoebe, sailing from Dublin in 1844. Native of Fermanagh. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Bridget Keenan

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1855. Married 1855 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 17.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Keenan

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Donald McKay, aged 32; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,294 records for Keenan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (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); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada129 records

129 records of the Keenan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 45
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 20
  • Other Canadian records 64
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John F. Keenan

    Came to Ontario in 1878 aboard the Scandinavian, landing at Quebec, bound for Barrie, 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 Andrew Ronald Keenan

    Buried in 2001 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 21.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Oscar Charles Keenan

    Died 1977, aged 85; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 129 records for Keenan 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. 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).

United Kingdom62 records

62 records of the Keenan name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 35
  • Stirling Council burial records 16
  • Other British records 11
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Stephen Keenan

    Born 1891 at Aberdeen. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Keenan

    Buried in 1947 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 83.

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

    Buried in 1853 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 61.

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

Showing 3 of 62 records for Keenan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (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: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand50 records

50 records of the Keenan name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 41
  • Timaru and Mackenzie District cemetery records 3
  • Other New Zealand records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thelma Graham Keenan

    Died 2001, aged 93; buried at Avonhead Memorial 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 Myra Winifred Keenan

    Died 1977, aged 61; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry William Keenan

    Died 1943; buried at Mercury Bay Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 50 records for Keenan in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District 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).

Ireland13 records

13 records of the Keenan name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Catherine Keenan

    Died 1842, aged 76; 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 Keenan

    Died 1981; buried at Dunmore, 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 William Keenan

    Died 1948; buried at Clontuskert, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Keenan 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).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Keenan name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 3
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Georgina Murray Keenan

    Died 1961 in 's-Gravenhage; born in Deanston, Scotland.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Ellen Keenan

    In the population register of Manchester, England; born 1915 in Manchester, England.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Keenan in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Keenan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Keenan 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.

See the Keenan volume
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