Keeley
A surname most likely taken from the English place name Keighley in Yorkshire, often spelled in ways that mirror local pronunciation.
The #6,141 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,351 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally explained as a locational surname from Keighley in West Yorkshire. Older writers note that the place name was often pronounced something like "Keeley," which helps explain the surname form. The place-name element itself is older and likely refers to a clearing or meadow, though the surname is best understood simply as meaning "from Keighley."
History
Nineteenth-century surname dictionaries consistently connect Keeley with Keighley, and they also point out many spelling variants such as Kealy, Kealey, Keightly, and Keighley. The surname appears in both English and Irish-looking contexts, and some later writers cross-reference it with O'Keeley, so a few families may have different origins. In modern usage, Keeley is found in Britain, Ireland, and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley noted that inscriptions from the Keighley churchyard show the town’s name was once commonly pronounced "Keeley," which likely helped stabilize the surname form.
From the historical record
“KEEL. Keele, a parish in co. Stafford. KEELEY. Probably Keighley, co. York. KEELTY. KIELTY. From the an- cient personal name Caoilte, borne by one of the heroes of Ossiau. Ulster. Journ. of Archajol. No. 2. KEEN. KEENE. Perhaps some- times from sharpness of disposition ; but sometimes probabl)' the Irish O'Kean, sans”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom