Kegley
An Irish surname most likely representing a local spelling of Quigley/O’Quigley, shaped by regional pronunciation.
The #9,587 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 91,049 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kegley is generally treated as a variant spelling of the Irish surname Quigley, itself commonly connected with the Gaelic family name Ó Coigligh. In older scholarship, the name is explained through local speech forms that altered the opening sound, producing spellings such as Cogley, Twigley, and Kegley in different districts. The core sense is that of an Irish clan or family name rather than an English occupation or place-name.
History
Nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Irish surname writers noted Kegley as a regional spelling found especially in Ulster contexts, including Monaghan. They linked it with the wider Quigley/Cogley name-group, showing how the same Irish surname could appear in several phonetic spellings in different places. The form is relatively uncommon today and is best understood as an Anglicized local variant.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older Irish surname studies explicitly remark that local pronunciation could turn one family name into several written forms, and Kegley is one of the clearest examples.
From the historical record
“M‘ Keogh ; p.n. Kegley. See Quigley Kehoe. Fr. Cahot, Cahut, Cayeux ; p.n. Or see Keogh W. de Keheu in Rot. Obi. et Fin., K. John.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)