Skeen
A Scottish surname that is usually treated as a variant of Skene, a name tied to the place of Skene in Aberdeenshire.
The #6,378 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 57,839 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally explained as a variant spelling of Skene, a Scottish locational surname from the parish and lands of Skene in Aberdeenshire. The place-name itself is often linked to older Gaelic or pre-Gaelic elements, though 19th-century writers sometimes offered different speculative explanations. In surname use, Skeen is simply a phonetic or orthographic variant of Skene.
History
The historical sources treat Skeen as equivalent to Skene and note early bearers in medieval Scotland, including a John de Skeen in the reign of Malcolm Canmore. The surname remained especially Scottish, though like many Scottish names it later spread more widely through emigration. Modern bearers often descend from the same surname line recorded under both Skeen and Skene.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One of the medieval spellings preserved in the sources is 'John de Skeen,' showing how place-based surnames often began with the Norman-style 'de' meaning 'of'.
From the historical record
“IkEElP } Skeel's (Son): v. Skeel. SKEEN = Skene, q.v. SKEET = Skeat, q.v, SKEFFINGTON (Eng.) Bel. to Skeffington gvcic), 13th cent. Skeftinton, Scheftinton, . Angl. *Sce(ajftinga-tun= the Estate of the Sce(a)ft- Family [0.(East.)E.jc^(a)/f ( = Scand. skaft), a shaft, spear 4- -inga, genit. pi. of the fil. suS. -ing…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)