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Show ContentsKeen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Ireland Ireland
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The surname Keen originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Cathain" or "Mac Cathain."

Early Origins of the Keen family

The surname Keen was first found in County Londonderry (Irish: Doire), a Northern Irish county also known as Derry, in the province of Ulster. At one time, the areas was named O'Cahan Country.

Early History of the Keen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keen research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1196, 1617, 1631, 1641, 1644, 1680, 1697, 1709, 1714, 1730, 1754, 1757, 1781 and 1819 are included under the topic Early Keen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keen Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period because the general population had to rely on local official's understanding of how their name should be spelt, hence spellings in records often changed through a person's lifetime. The following variations for the name Keen were encountered in the archives: Keane, Kane, Kayne, Keaney, Keny, Keyne, O'Kane, O'Keane, O'Cahan, Cahan, Kean, O'Cain, McCloskey, McCluskey, McClaskey and many more.

Early Notables of the Keen family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir Benjamin Keene (1697-1757), was an English diplomatist, born at King's Lynn, Norfolk, and was the eldest son of Charles Keene, merchant (alderman, and in 1714 mayor, of King's Lynn). The family ha...

Keen World Ranking

In the United States, the name Keen is the 1,624th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Keen is ranked the 789th most popular surname with an estimated 4,952 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Keen is the 573rd popular surname with an estimated 1,243 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Keen as 760th with 8,814 people. 4

United States Keen migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Keen to North America:

Keen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jonas Keen, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1627 5
  • Joran Keen, who landed in Wilmington, Del in 1643 5
  • William Keen, who landed in Maryland in 1667 5
  • Darby Keen, who landed in Maryland in 1676 5
  • Francis Keen, who landed in Maryland in 1677 5
Keen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Keen, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1755 5
  • George Keen, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1762 5
  • Hugh Keen, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1765 5
  • Grace Keen, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 5
  • Jane Keen, who arrived in Carolina in 1792 5
Keen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Catherine Keen, aged 45, who arrived in New York in 1849 5
  • Bernard Keen, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
  • W M Keen, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
  • Flen Keen, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1854 5
  • John Keen, who landed in Iroquois County, Illinois in 1888 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Keen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Ernest James Keen, (b. 1882), aged 23, Cornish miner, from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 9th May 1905 en route to Ione, California, USA 6

Australia Keen migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Keen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Keen, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. John Keen, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • Miss Ann Keen, (Rebecca), (b. 1813), aged 19, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Diana" on 4th December 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1895 9
  • Samuel Keen, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1846 10
  • James Keen, English Convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Keen migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Keen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Keen, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston aboard the ship "Marys" arriving in New Zealand in 1848 12
  • John Keen, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "John Masterman" in 1857
  • Miss Jane Keen, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "England" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 22nd September 1865 12
  • Mr. William Keen, (b. 1851), aged 23, English settler from Berkshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Sussex" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 17th July 1874 13
  • Mrs. Martha Keen, (b. 1851), aged 23, English settler from Berkshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Sussex" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 17th July 1874 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Keen (post 1700) +

  • William Williams Keen (1837-1932), American physician, the first brain surgeon in the United States
  • Noah Keen (b. 1920), American film and television actor
  • Howard Victor Keen (1899-1976), American Major League Baseball player
  • Sam Keen, noted American author, professor and philosopher
  • Lehman McGrath Keen (b. 1983), American-born racecar driver
  • Andrew Keen (b. 1960), British-American entrepreneur and author
  • Robert Earl Keen Jr. (b. 1956), American Texas Country singer-songwriter
  • William Walter Maurice "Will" Keen (b. 1970), English stage, television, and film actor, born in Oxford
  • Patricia Margaret Keen (1933-2013), British actress
  • Ann Lloyd Keen (b. 1948), British Labour Party politician
  • ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Royal Oak
  • Bernard B. Keen, British Lieutenant with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 14
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Percy Edward Keen, aged 28, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 15 15
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Billy Mack Keen, American Private from Texas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 16

The Keen Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Felis demulcta mitis
Motto Translation: A stroked cat is gentle.

Suggested Readings for the name Keen +

  • The John Keen(e): 1578-1649 by Archie Timother Keene.
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  3. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  4. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  5. 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)
  6. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diana
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PHEOBE/PHOEBE 1845. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Phoebe.htm
  11. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  14. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  15. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
  16. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
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