Keen
A surname that can mean “sharp” or “eager,” and in some cases may be an anglicized Irish name or a local name from St. Keyne in Cornwall.
The #1,959 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,726 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually linked to Middle English keen, meaning sharp, bold, or eager, so it may have begun as a nickname for a person thought quick-minded or spirited. Some historical writers also treated it as a shortened form of Irish O'Kean, and others connected it with St. Keyne, a Cornish parish named for an early saint. Because these explanations all occur in the record, the surname is best treated as having more than one possible origin.
History
Bardsley lists Keen alongside Kean, Keene, and Keane as both a nickname-based surname and a local name from St. Keyne in Cornwall. Lower likewise says Keen/Keene may come from sharpness of disposition, but also perhaps from the Irish O'Kean. The surname is established in Britain and Ireland and later appears widely in English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname dictionaries, Keen is often grouped with a whole cluster of look-alikes—Kean, Keene, Keane, and Kene—because they could overlap in spelling and origin.
From the historical record
“Archajol. No. 2. KEEN. KEENE. Perhaps some- times from sharpness of disposition ; but sometimes probabl)' the Irish O'Kean, sans 0'. Both Kene and Le Kene occur in H.R. KEEP. Perhaps from residence at the " keep," or domestic department of a castle. If I may be allowed a little self-plagiarism here, I will extract…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Keen
- Dafne Keen (b. 2005)
- Raye (b. 1997)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.