Show ContentsKeown History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Keown family in Ireland was Mac Eogain in Connacht, and Mac Eoin in east Ulster. Both of these names connote a "son of John," or "son of Owen." 1

Early Origins of the Keown family

The surname Keown was first found in County Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where the first people to use this surname are thought to have originated. Soon thereafter, the name was also found in neighboring Leitrim.

Early History of the Keown family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keown research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Keown History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keown Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Keown dating from that time include Keon, MacKeon, MacKeown, MacKewan, MacKoun, MacWing, Hone, MacOwen, Mageown and many more.

Early Notables of the Keown family

More information is included under the topic Early Keown Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keown Ranking

In the United States, the name Keown is the 9,435th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Keown migration to the United States +

Thousands of Irish families left for North American shores in the 19th century. These people were searching for a life unencumbered with poverty, hunger, and racial discrimination. Many arrived to eventually find such conditions, but many others simply did not arrive: victims of the diseased, overcrowded ships in which they traveled to the New World. Those who lived to see North American shores were instrumental in the development of the growing nations of Canada and the United States. A thorough examination of passenger and immigration lists has disclosed evidence of many early immigrants of the name Keown:

Keown Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James R Keown, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1815 3
  • Mary Keown, aged 20, who arrived in New York in 1854 3
  • Bridget Keown, aged 18, who arrived in New York in 1854 3
  • Samuel and William Keown, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1855

Contemporary Notables of the name Keown (post 1700) +

  • Michael Huel "Mike" Keown, American Republican member of the Georgia House of Representatives (2008-)
  • R. E. Keown, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1912 4
  • Martin Keown (b. 1966), former English footballer
  • Damien Keown (b. 1951), English bioethicist and authority on Buddhist bioethics
  • Dale Keown (b. 1962), Canadian comic book artist, known for his work on Marvel's Incredible Hulk
  • Anna Gordon Keown (1899-1957), English author and poet


  1. Moore, A.W., Manx Names. London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1906. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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