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An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2012

Where did the Irish O'Keefe family come from? What is the Irish O'Keefe family crest and coat of arms? When did the O'Keefe family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the O'Keefe family history?

All Irish surnames have underlying meanings that can be traced back to their fullest points when the names first appeared in a Gaelic form. The name O'Keefe originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Caoimh," which is derived from the word "caomh," which means "gentle."

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One name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer because one must realize that attempting to record a Gaelic name in English is a daunting task at the best of times. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the O'Keefe family name include O'Keeffe, O'Keefe, Keefe, Keeffe, Keefer, Keiffe and others.

First found in County Cork, where they held a family seat from ancient times.


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This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Keefe research. Another 250 words(18 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1640, 1655, 1670, 1691, 1703, 1740, 1747, 1778, 1791, and 1833 are included under the topic Early O'Keefe History in all our PDF Extended History products.

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Another 53 words(4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Keefe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.

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The 18th and 19th centuries saw many Irish families immigrate to North America in search of land and opportunities. The largest influx of Irish immigrants to the United States and British North America came during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine laid waste to their homeland. Hundreds of thousands left the island in an attempt to escape the starvation and disease it brought. Although the arrival of such a large number of destitute Irish was not welcomed by the established population in the United States and what would become known as Canada at the time, these Irish were an essential element to the rapid development of these growing industrial nations. They filled the demand for the cheap labor needed for the work in factories and in the construction of bridges, roads, canals, and railways. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many immigrants bearing the name of O'Keefe or one of its variants:

O'Keefe Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century


  • Denis, Michael, Patrick and Thomas O'Keefe all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860

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  • Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (b. 1978), American actress and model
  • Kevin O'Keefe (b. 1982), American ice dancer champion
  • Ken O'Keefe (b. 1953), American college football coach
  • Laurence "Larry" O'Keefe (b. 1969), American Tony nominated composer and lyricist for Broadway musicals, film and television
  • John A O'Keefe (1916-2000), NASA planetary scientist and one of the major leaders in developing the American lunar science program
  • Andrew Patrick O'Keefe (b. 1971), Australian TV personality
  • Michael A. O'Keefe (b. 1942), Australian physicist famous for his work in materials science and electron microscopy
  • John Michael O'Keefe (1935-1978), Australian rock and roll singer
  • Sean O'Keefe (b. 1956), Chancellor of Louisiana State University, former Administrator of NASA and former United States Secretary of the Navy
  • Eugene O'Keefe (1827-1913), Irish-born, Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founder of the O'Keefe Brewery Company of Toronto Limited (1891)

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  • Anna O'Keefe and Samuel Snedden 1867-1975, Six Generation in California by Virginia Perry Culbert.
  • The Baron, the Logger. the Miner and Me by John H. Toole.
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  1. Robb H. Amanda and Andrew Chesler. Encyclopedia of American Family Names. New York: Haper Collins, 1995. Print. (ISBN 0-06-270075-8).
  2. Grehan, Ida. Dictionary of Irish Family Names. Boulder: Roberts Rinehart, 1997. Print. (ISBN 1-57098-137-X).
  3. Vicars, Sir Arthur. Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland 1536-1810. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. Print.
  4. Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston Texas 1896-1951. National Archives Washington DC. Print.
  5. Leyburn, James Graham. The Scotch-Irish A Social History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1962. Print. (ISBN 0807842591).
  6. Tepper, Michael Ed & Elizabeth P. Bentley Transcriber. Passenger Arrivals at the Port of Philadelphia 1800-1819. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1986. Print.
  7. Burke, Sir Bernard. General Armory Of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Ramsbury: Heraldry Today. Print.
  8. Donovan, George Francis. The Pre-Revolutionary Irish in Massachusetts 1620-1775. Menasha, WI: Geroge Banta Publsihing Co., 1932. Print.
  9. Read, Charles Anderson. The Cabinet of Irish Literature Selections from the Works of the Chief Poets, Orators and Prose Writers of Ireland 4 Volumes. London: Blackie and Son, 1884. Print.
  10. Matthews, John. Matthews' American Armoury and Blue Book. London: John Matthews, 1911. Print.
  11. ...

The O'Keefe Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The O'Keefe Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 10 February 2012 at 07:51.

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