Keenan
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KEE-nan
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,087 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,305 for boys
Keenan is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “little ancient one”. In 2025 it ranked 2,087th for boys in the UK (12 babies) and 1,305th for boys in the US (149 babies).
What does Keenan mean?
Irish: from the surname O Cianain
“little ancient one”
An anglicised Irish surname, O Cianain, built on the old personal name Cian, meaning 'ancient' or 'enduring'.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Keenan a girl's or a boy's name?
Keenan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 12 boys in the UK and 149 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Keenan in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,087among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 12about 1 in 25,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadymuch the same
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 12 boys in the UK were named Keenan, making it the 2,087th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,562nd. Its busiest year was 1998, with 181 boys.
Half of all the boys named Keenan in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2008. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,011th in England and Wales.
Keenan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #2,087 |
| 2024 | 11 | #2,149 |
| 2023 | 14 | #1,812 |
| 2022 | 15 | #1,708 |
| 2021 | 14 | #1,791 |
| 2020 | 8 | #2,562 |
| 2019 | 12 | #1,974 |
| 2018 | 17 | #1,555 |
| 2017 | 13 | #1,922 |
| 2016 | 13 | #1,909 |
| 2015 | 17 | #1,535 |
| 2014 | 21 | #1,308 |
| 2013 | 16 | #1,560 |
| 2012 | 28 | #1,070 |
| 2011 | 34 | #929 |
| 2010 | 27 | #1,085 |
| 2009 | 27 | #1,057 |
| 2008 | 59 | #612 |
| 2007 | 54 | #619 |
| 2006 | 68 | #510 |
| 2005 | 67 | #470 |
| 2004 | 72 | #427 |
| 2003 | 76 | #389 |
| 2002 | 52 | #475 |
| 2001 | 86 | #346 |
| 2000 | 81 | #358 |
| 1999 | 150 | #226 |
| 1998 | 181 | #200 |
| 1997 | 122 | #264 |
| 1996 | 58 | #401 |
How popular is Keenan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,305among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 149about 1 in 11,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 25% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 149 boys in the US were named Keenan, making it the 1,305th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 986th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 717 boys. It first appears in the records in 1942.
2025 had fewer boys named Keenan than any year since 1979.
Half of all the boys named Keenan in the US since 1880 were born between 1989 and 2007, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 154 boys in the US were given Keenan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,151, up from #1,305 for this spelling alone.
- Keenan 149
- Keinan 5
Keenan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 149 | #1,305 |
| 2024 | 167 | #1,211 |
| 2023 | 188 | #1,124 |
| 2022 | 181 | #1,146 |
| 2021 | 204 | #1,050 |
| 2020 | 216 | #986 |
| 2019 | 228 | #944 |
| 2018 | 231 | #922 |
| 2017 | 234 | #910 |
| 2016 | 274 | #829 |
| 2015 | 227 | #932 |
| 2014 | 278 | #817 |
| 2013 | 209 | #955 |
| 2012 | 237 | #884 |
| 2011 | 263 | #825 |
| 2010 | 300 | #753 |
| 2009 | 310 | #745 |
| 2008 | 318 | #727 |
| 2007 | 364 | #658 |
| 2006 | 394 | #607 |
| 2005 | 381 | #592 |
| 2004 | 382 | #584 |
| 2003 | 382 | #577 |
| 2002 | 364 | #587 |
| 2001 | 377 | #556 |
| 2000 | 411 | #531 |
| 1999 | 446 | #492 |
| 1998 | 492 | #457 |
| 1997 | 717 | #354 |
| 1996 | 595 | #397 |
| 1995 | 623 | #380 |
| 1994 | 590 | #393 |
| 1993 | 613 | #379 |
| 1992 | 652 | #362 |
| 1991 | 667 | #359 |
| 1990 | 592 | #390 |
| 1989 | 395 | #481 |
| 1988 | 333 | #501 |
| 1987 | 289 | #531 |
| 1986 | 274 | #539 |
| 1985 | 272 | #529 |
| 1984 | 212 | #581 |
| 1983 | 225 | #562 |
| 1982 | 171 | #668 |
| 1981 | 167 | #663 |
| 1980 | 181 | #644 |
| 1979 | 146 | #715 |
| 1978 | 131 | #737 |
| 1977 | 115 | #796 |
| 1976 | 128 | #737 |
| 1975 | 126 | #741 |
| 1974 | 113 | #761 |
| 1973 | 102 | #786 |
| 1972 | 104 | #783 |
| 1971 | 98 | #816 |
| 1970 | 110 | #782 |
| 1969 | 84 | #836 |
| 1968 | 66 | #884 |
| 1967 | 79 | #814 |
| 1966 | 93 | #757 |
| 1965 | 69 | #881 |
| 1964 | 92 | #784 |
| 1963 | 120 | #713 |
| 1962 | 97 | #771 |
| 1961 | 60 | #1,000 |
| 1960 | 106 | #747 |
| 1959 | 68 | #925 |
| 1958 | 66 | #935 |
| 1957 | 45 | #1,150 |
| 1956 | 10 | #2,626 |
| 1955 | 31 | #1,369 |
| 1954 | 18 | #1,825 |
| 1953 | 17 | #1,899 |
| 1952 | 11 | #2,374 |
| 1951 | 13 | #2,134 |
| 1950 | 13 | #2,110 |
| 1949 | 12 | #2,224 |
| 1948 | 10 | #2,442 |
| 1947 | 18 | #1,785 |
| 1946 | 13 | #2,029 |
| 1945 | 10 | #2,241 |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 7 | #2,939 |
Names like Keenan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Keegan Declan Conan Keelan Ronan Brogan Regan Conlan Finn Kian Aiden Kenan
Other spellings of Keenan
Names related to Keenan
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Connor Casey Kennedy Callan Lennon Cillian
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Keenan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/keenan, updated 20 October 2026.