Keegan
An Irish surname, most often explained as a form of Ó Ceagáin, meaning a descendant of Ceagán.
The #3,450 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,819 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Keegan is generally treated as an Anglicized Irish surname. The most common explanation connects it with Gaelic Ó Ceagáin, meaning “descendant of Ceagán,” though older writers sometimes connected it with other Irish forms and name-clusters. The name is usually interpreted as belonging to the wider family of Irish surnames built from a personal name rather than from an occupation or place.
History
The surname is found in Ireland and in Irish diaspora communities, and it appears in 19th- and early-20th-century surname lists in forms such as Keegan, Keegen, and Keigeen. Because Irish surnames were often respelled in English, several variant forms circulated in records before spellings stabilized. Historical compilers sometimes grouped Keegan with nearby names like Keane and Keefe, reflecting the complexity of Gaelic transliteration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname compilers sometimes placed Keegan alongside surnames like Egan, Kane, and Keane because the same Gaelic sound could be rendered in several different English spellings.
From the historical record
“triAC Ao-6A5Ain, MacEgan, Mac Keegan, Keegan, Egan, Heagan, etc. rriAC Ao-oAin, MacKeane, Keane Kane.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames