Language & meaning
Meaning & Irish forms
Gaelic Gaelic Irish: an English form shared by Ó Catháin, Ó Céin, Mac Catháin and Mac Aodháin, borne by unrelated families in Ulster, Connacht and Munster.[1][2][3][4]
The name is built on the personal name Cathán, usually explained as “a pet form of a name beginning with Cath-”. Woulfe explains Cathán as a familiar form of some longer name beginning with Cath-. The Waterford Ó Céin family is named instead from Cian, an old Irish personal name, and Mac Aodháin from Aodhán, a diminutive of Aodh.[1][2][4]
Place
Where the Keanes lived
How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.
Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.
Highest concentration · 1901
Clare
125 per 10,000
1,399 Keanes · 6.12× the national share
Highest share, 1901
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1911
Clare
124 per 10,000
1,296 Keanes · 5.86× the national share
Highest share, 1911
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1926
Clare
125 per 10,000
1,185 Keanes · 3.93× the national share
Highest share, 1926
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
County figures as a table
| County | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Per 10k 1901 | Per 10k 1911 | Per 10k 1926 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 15 | 26 | — | 0 | 1 | — |
| Armagh | 5 | 38 | — | 0 | 3 | — |
| Carlow | 36 | 27 | 22 | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Cavan | 25 | 14 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Clare | 1,399 | 1,296 | 1,185 | 125 | 124 | 125 |
| Cork | 725 | 700 | 723 | 18 | 18 | 20 |
| Donegal | 17 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Down | 14 | 34 | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| Dublin | 475 | 561 | 738 | 11 | 12 | 15 |
| Fermanagh | 13 | 18 | — | 2 | 3 | — |
| Galway | 1,666 | 1,746 | 1,730 | 87 | 96 | 102 |
| Kerry | 914 | 967 | 934 | 55 | 61 | 63 |
| Kildare | 26 | 57 | 81 | 4 | 9 | 14 |
| Kilkenny | 44 | 48 | 97 | 6 | 6 | 14 |
| Laois | 29 | 32 | 66 | 5 | 6 | 13 |
| Leitrim | 25 | 48 | 61 | 4 | 8 | 11 |
| Limerick | 572 | 594 | 591 | 39 | 41 | 42 |
| Londonderry | 45 | 7 | — | 3 | 1 | — |
| Longford | 98 | 69 | 99 | 21 | 16 | 25 |
| Louth | 12 | 16 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Mayo | 1,146 | 1,209 | 1,183 | 58 | 63 | 69 |
| Meath | 38 | 44 | 24 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Monaghan | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Offaly | 17 | 33 | 35 | 3 | 6 | 7 |
| Roscommon | 243 | 287 | 351 | 24 | 31 | 42 |
| Sligo | 142 | 133 | 156 | 18 | 17 | 22 |
| Tipperary | 302 | 296 | 326 | 19 | 19 | 23 |
| Tyrone | 12 | 16 | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| Waterford | 565 | 536 | 533 | 65 | 65 | 68 |
| Westmeath | 82 | 117 | 113 | 13 | 19 | 20 |
| Wexford | 212 | 206 | 208 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
| Wicklow | 107 | 101 | 77 | 18 | 17 | 14 |
Local strongholds in 1911
District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Keanes made up the largest share of the population. In Dunquin, Co. Kerry, about one resident in 10 was a Keane.
| DED | County | Keanes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunquin | Kerry | 59 | 10.2% |
| Binghamstown, South | Mayo | 148 | 9.6% |
| Cur | Galway | 36 | 8.7% |
| Killinaboy | Clare | 37 | 8.4% |
| Taghboy | Galway | 39 | 8.1% |
| Derreen | Kerry | 32 | 7.1% |
| Beaghmore | Galway | 24 | 6.9% |
| Kilballyowen | Clare | 56 | 6.5% |
Origins
Septs & territories
Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Keane lineages described in the sources.
A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.
Ó Catháin of Keenaght (O'Cahan)
Keenaght and Coleraine, most of the present Co. Derry · Derry
A branch of the Cenél nEógain who moved east from the Laggan in Donegal in the 12th century and held Keenaght until their lands were confiscated in the Plantation of Ulster. They are better known under the spelling O'Kane, which has its own page. Woulfe says a branch was believed to have settled early in Thomond.[1][9][10]
Ó Catháin of Uí Fiachrach
Cenél Sedna, in Uí Fiachrach · Galway
Woulfe identifies a second Ó Catháin family as a branch of the Uí Fiachrach in Co. Galway. Wikipedia describes this Connacht sept as unrelated to the Derry family, first chiefs of Cenél Ianna and later of Cenél Sedna after expelling the O'Drennans.[1][9]
Mac Catháin of Inis Cathaigh
Inis Cathaigh (Scattery Island) and the Kilrush district · Clare
A Clare family who were formerly coarbs, or hereditary successors, of St Senan at the monastery of Inis Cathaigh in the Shannon estuary. Woulfe found the name still well known around Kilrush, written Keane.[3][11]
Ó Céin of Waterford
a district bordering the River Mahon · Waterford
Woulfe describes Ó Céin as a Waterford family who were anciently chiefs of territory beside the River Mahon, which runs from the Comeragh Mountains to the sea at Bunmahon. He mentions a Derry family of the name as well, and says Ó Céin had become very rare.[2][12]
The name over time
History
Several names behind one spelling
Keane is an English spelling shared by at least four Gaelic surnames. Ó Catháin, the most widespread, belonged to families in Derry and Galway and, Woulfe says, to several other unconnected families as well. Mac Catháin was a Clare church family, Ó Céin a Waterford family, and Mac Aodháin a Connacht name. Woulfe admits that the English forms of Ó Céin and Ó Catháin cannot be separated, and the same Ó Catháin is behind O'Kane and Kane. Keane and O'Keane are thus best read as a cluster of related spellings rather than one family.[1][3][2][4][9]
The O'Cahans of Keenaght
The most powerful Ó Catháin family were the O'Cahans of Ulster, a branch of the Cenél nEógain. Wikipedia says they came from the Laggan in east Donegal and moved east in the 12th century, displacing the O'Connors of Keenaght in what is now Co. Derry. They held Keenaght and Coleraine, known as 'O'Cahan's country', until the 17th century, and had the right to inaugurate the O'Neill by throwing a shoe over his head. Their estates were confiscated at the Plantation of Ulster, and Donnell Ballagh O'Cahan died a prisoner in the Tower of London in 1626.[9][10][1]
Galway and Clare
A second Ó Catháin family belonged to the Uí Fiachrach of Galway. Wikipedia names its earliest recorded member as Eoghan Ua Catháin, abbot of Clonfert, who died in 980. In Clare the name has a church origin: the Mac Catháin family were coarbs of St Senan on Inis Cathaigh, or Scattery Island, the monastery Senan founded in the 6th century off Kilrush. Woulfe found Keane still well known around Kilrush. He also passes on the tradition that a branch of the Derry O'Cahans settled early in Thomond.[1][9][3][11]
Ó Céin of Waterford
Ó Céin, 'descendant of Cian', was a Waterford family whose chiefs ruled land beside the River Mahon, which rises in the Comeragh Mountains and reaches the sea at Bunmahon. Woulfe repeats John O'Donovan's claim that the actors Edmund Kean and his son Charles belonged to this family. That claim should be treated with caution: Wikipedia records that Edmund Kean was born in Westminster and that his father's identity is uncertain, although his wife, Charles's mother, was Mary Chambers of Waterford. Woulfe found Ó Céin very rare by his time.[2][12][13]
Mac Aodháin in Connacht
In Connacht, Keane can come from a different name altogether. Woulfe gives Mac Aodháin, 'son of Aodhán', as the correct form of a surname that people in Connacht pronounced Ó Caodháin, and he treats Ó Caodháin as a Mayo corruption of it. In English it was written MacKeane, Keane and Kane. Aodhán is a diminutive of Aodh, so this family has no link with the Ó Catháin families despite the shared spelling.[4][8]
The Keanes of Cappoquin
A landed Keane family rose in Co. Waterford in the 18th and 19th centuries. The baronetcy of Keane of Belmont was created in 1801 for John Keane, MP for Youghal, and his second son, General John Keane, was made Baron Keane of Ghuznee after taking that city in the First Anglo-Afghan War. The family seat, Cappoquin House, was burnt in 1923 during the Civil War and restored by Sir John Keane, 5th Baronet, who sat in the Free State Senate and was Governor of the Bank of Ireland.[14][15][16]
Places linked to the name
- Inis Cathaigh (Scattery Island) (Inis Cathaigh), Co. Clare — Island monastery of St Senan, whose coarbs were the Mac Catháin family.[11][3]
- Kilrush (Cill Rois), Co. Clare — Town where Woulfe found the Mac Catháin name, as Keane, still well known.[3][17]
- Keenaght (Ciannachta), Co. Derry — Barony ruled by the Ó Catháin (O'Cahan) family from the 12th century.[10][1]
- River Mahon (an Mhachain), Co. Waterford — The Ó Céin chiefs held a district beside this river.[2][12]
- Cappoquin House, Co. Waterford — Seat of the Keane baronets of Belmont and Cappoquin.[15][14]
Everyday lives
The Keanes in the census
Who the Keanes were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.
Keanes All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Keane bar
Religion, 1911
Irish language
241 Keanes spoke Irish only in 1901.
Reading & writing
Family life, 1911
Commonest occupations
Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.
| Farmer | 1,944 |
| Farmer's son | 1,106 |
| Farmer's daughter | 573 |
| Agricultural labourer | 316 |
| Labourer | 280 |
| Farm servant | 275 |
| General labourer | 262 |
| Farm labourer | 193 |
| House keeper | 188 |
| Farmer's wife | 165 |
Born outside Ireland
0.8% of Keanes in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.
| United States | 33 |
| England | 24 |
| Scotland | 5 |
| India | 4 |
| Wales | 2 |
| Canada | 2 |
Median age: 23 in 1901, 25 in 1911.
Given names
First names among the Keanes
Men and boys
- John2,240
- Patrick1,857
- Michael1,479
- Thomas1,182
- James1,112
- Martin468
- William450
- Peter275
- Daniel265
- Denis262
Women and girls
- Mary2,541
- Bridget1,438
- Margaret905
- Ellen680
- Catherine581
- Kate441
- Annie378
- Anne320
- Maggie276
- Nora273
All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, Michael, Thomas, James; Mary, Bridget, Margaret, Ellen, Annie.
Spellings
Spellings
This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.
| Spelling | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keane | 8,970 | 9,272 | 9,373 | Search |
| O'Keane | 51 | 27 | 14 | Search |
Related forms
- O'Keane — The form with the Ó prefix, recorded by Woulfe for Ó Catháin.[1]
- Kean — Given by Woulfe for Ó Céin and Ó Caodháin.[2][8]
- O'Kane, Kane — The same Ó Catháin, more usual for the Derry family; treated on a separate page.[1][9]
- O'Cahan, Cahan, Cahane — Forms closer to the Irish spelling, used especially for the Ulster family.[1][9]
- MacKeane — From Mac Aodháin in Connacht; Mac Catháin gave the similar MacKane and MacKeen.[4][3]
Diaspora
The Keanes abroad
Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:
| Spelling | People | US rank |
|---|---|---|
| Keane | 11,459 | 3154th |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).
Heraldry
Is there a Keane coat of arms?
Arms were granted to particular families, so there is no general Keane crest. Burke records for the Keane baronets of Cappoquin a red shield with three silver salmon, a cat for crest and the motto 'Felis demulcta mitis', with an augmentation showing the fortress of Ghuznee for Baron Keane. For the Keanes of Hermitage and Beech Park in Co. Clare he gives a shield quartered red and gold with salmon and trees, a wild-cat crest and the same motto. These belonged to those families alone.[18]
Websites selling a single “Keane family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.
People
Notable people named Keane
- John Keane, 1st Baron Keane (1781–1844) Irish soldier ennobled for capturing Ghuznee in the First Anglo-Afghan War.
- Augustus Henry Keane (1833–1912) Irish Catholic journalist and linguist known for ethnological writing.
- Sir John Keane, 5th Baronet (1873–1956) Irish barrister, Free State senator and Governor of the Bank of Ireland.
- Molly Keane (1904–1996) Irish novelist and playwright who also wrote as M. J. Farrell.
- Bil Keane (1922–2011) American cartoonist who created The Family Circus.
- John B. Keane (1928–2002) Listowel playwright, novelist and essayist.
- Seán Keane (1946–2023) Fiddler and teacher, a member of The Chieftains from 1968.
- Moss Keane (1948–2010) Gaelic footballer and rugby player for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.
- Dolores Keane (1953–2026) Folk singer and founding member of De Dannan.
- Fergal Keane (born 1961) Journalist and author, a BBC foreign correspondent for 37 years.
- Roy Keane (born 1971) Irish footballer best known as captain of Manchester United.
- Robbie Keane (born 1980) Striker regarded as one of Ireland's greatest footballers.
Questions
Questions about the Keane name
Is Keane an Irish surname?
Yes. Keane is an English form of several Gaelic surnames: Ó Catháin, borne by families in Derry and Galway; Mac Catháin, a Clare church family from Scattery Island; Ó Céin, a Waterford family; and Mac Aodháin in Connacht. The Waterford baronets of Cappoquin are among the best-known Keane families of later centuries.[1][3][2][4][14]
What is Keane in Irish?
Usually Ó Catháin, 'descendant of Cathán', with Ní Chatháin for a woman. Depending on the family it may instead be Ó Céin, 'descendant of Cian', in Waterford, Mac Catháin in Clare, or Mac Aodháin, spoken as Ó Caodháin, in Connacht.[1][6][2][3][4]
Are Keane and O'Kane the same name?
Often they share an origin. Woulfe lists O'Kane, Kane, O'Keane and Keane together as English forms of Ó Catháin, and Wikipedia gives the same set for the O'Cahans of Derry. But not every Keane is an Ó Catháin, since Ó Céin, Mac Catháin and Mac Aodháin also became Keane. O'Kane has its own page on this site.[1][9][2][3][4]
How do you pronounce Keane?
In English Keane is pronounced 'KEEN', the same as the word keen. Wiktionary gives the Irish Ó Catháin as /oː ˈkahɑːnʲ/, roughly 'oh KAH-hawn', with the th sounded as an h and the stress on the second syllable.[19][6]
Where does the Keane name come from?
It depends on the family. The O'Cahans held Keenaght in Co. Derry; another Ó Catháin family lived among the Uí Fiachrach in Galway; the Mac Catháin family were coarbs of St Senan on Scattery Island off Kilrush in Clare; the Ó Céin chiefs lived by the River Mahon in Waterford; and Mac Aodháin belonged to Connacht, especially Mayo.[9][1][3][2][4]
Is there a Keane family crest or coat of arms?
Not one for everyone named Keane. Burke records arms for particular families: three silver salmon on red with the motto 'Felis demulcta mitis' for the Keane baronets of Cappoquin, and a quartered shield of salmon and trees for the Keanes of Hermitage and Beech Park in Clare. Each belonged to the family it was granted or confirmed to.[18]
Where in Ireland is the Keane surname most common?
In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Keanes lived in Galway (1,746), Clare (1,296), Mayo (1,209). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Clare (124 per 10,000), Galway (96 per 10,000), Waterford (65 per 10,000).
How common was the Keane surname in Ireland?
9,299 people were recorded as Keane or O'Keane in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 67th most common surname. That is roughly 0.2% of the population, or 1 person in 472.
Looking for a Keane ancestor?
Search every Keane household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.
Evidence
Sources
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Catháin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Céin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Catháin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Aodháin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Gaois research group, Dublin City University, Sloinnte: Irish surnames database (2022). Modern standard Irish forms.
- Wiktionary, Ó Catháin (2026)
- Wikipedia, Seán Keane (fiddler) (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Caodháin, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, O'Cahan (2026)
- Wikipedia, Keenaght (barony) (2026)
- Wikipedia, Inis Cathaigh (2026)
- Wikipedia, River Mahon (2026)
- Wikipedia, Edmund Kean (2026)
- Wikipedia, Keane baronets (2026)
- Wikipedia, Cappoquin House (2026)
- Wikipedia, John Keane, 1st Baron Keane (2026)
- Wikipedia, Kilrush (2026)
- Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'Keane (Cappoquin House, bart.)', 'Keane (Baron Keane)', 'Keane (Belmont)', 'Keane (Hermitage)' and 'Keane (Beech Park)'.
- Wiktionary, Keane (2026)
- Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
How we compile these figures: methodology.