Keanan
Masculine · “A spelling of Keenan”
Keanan is a spelling of Keenan, an Irish surname that became an American boy's name. It looks a little like the Hawaiian Keanu, but it comes from Ireland, and its best-known bearer in the surname wrote one of the great books about captivity.
How old is the name Keanan?
Keanan first appears in US birth records in 1977 — 48 years ago. The typical Keanan alive today was born around 2001, making them about 24 years old. About 600 people named Keanan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Keanan most popular?
Keanan peaked in 1997, reaching #1908 nationally. See the whole 1997 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Cian to Keanan
The story of Keanan
The Ó Cianáin were a learned family in medieval Ireland, and their name was anglicized as Keenan. Brian Keenan, a Belfast teacher, was kidnapped in Beirut in 1986 and held for four and a half years, much of it chained beside the English journalist John McCarthy; his account, An Evil Cradling, is still read as one of the most remarkable books about surviving captivity. Keanan is one of the spellings American families have used as the surname became a first name.
Meaning
A spelling of Keenan, from Irish Ó Cianáin
Keenan comes from the Irish surname Ó Cianáin, built on the personal name Cian. It is not related to the Hawaiian Keanu.
How the name formed
- Cian
- Ó Cianáin
- Keenan
- Keanan
Related forms: Ó Cianáin · Keenan · Cian
Pronouncing Keanan
KEE-nun
Two syllables with the stress on the first, like Keenan.
Nicknames for Keanan
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1977
- Most boys named
- 199748 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1908reached in 1997
- Change vs 2023
- −25.0%6 in 2024, from 8
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Keanan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ó Cianáin in Irish — related form
- Keenan in English — spelling variant
- Cian in Irish — related form
Keanans among us
people named Keanan are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Keanan sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Sounds like Keenan, a name many people know.
- A real Irish surname with a long history.
- Distinct on paper.
- People will write Keenan or Keenen.
- Some will read it as kee-AH-nun, like Keanu.
- As a surname-first name it may be taken for a last name.
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Keanan
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Keanans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Keanan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Keanan in 2025?
- Keanan is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Keanan with classmates?
- Keanan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Kenneth#294 · Kevin#221 · Kyle#508 · Keith#800 · Karl#1585 · Kaleb#295 · Kurt#2258 · Kelly#1867
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Keanan? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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