Keenan is an

Irish surname A formal Irish name consists of a given name and a surname. In the Irish language, most surnames are patronymic surnames (distinct from patronymic, patronyms, which are seen in Icelandic names for example). The form of a surname varies according ...

meaning 'ancient, distant' in the Irish language. It is derived from ''Ó'' ''Cianáin'' 'descendant of Cianán' (a diminutive of

Cian In Irish mythology, Cian or Cían (), nicknamed Scal Balb, was the son of Dian Cecht, the physician of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and best known as the father of Lugh Lamhfada. Cían's brothers were Cu, Cethen, and Miach. Cían was slain by th ...

). The

Ó Cianáin Ó Cianáin was the name of a Gaels, Gaelic-Irish people, Irish Brehon family. They were originally erenaghs of the parish of Cleenish, Lough Erne, but who had served for several centuries as historians to McGuire (disambiguation), Mag Uidir of Fer ...

clan were hereditary historians to the Mac Uidhir.

Origins

Recorded as O'Keenan and more usually Keenan, this is an Irish surname. Found mainly in

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

counties

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh (), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of alleged Laigin or ...

and

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 cen ...

, it originates from the ancient pre-10th-century

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

name ''Ó Cianáin'' meaning "The descendant of the faithful one" or similar. It may not have been entirely coincidence that the clan was famous throughout the Medieval Period for producing both high-ranking members of the church, and early historians, in several cases the same thing. The first recorded scribe was Adam O' Caianain, who was also the canon of Lisgool in Fermanagh. He is mentioned in the annals known as the "Four Masters" as being the historian to the famous Maguires of County Fermanagh. It is said that in 1659 in Petty's Census of Ireland that the spelling was found as MacKeenan, but if so this spelling is now completely extinct and research suggests that the original recording may have been a clerical mistake.

People named Keenan

First name

Keenan Allen Keenan Alexander Allen (born April 27, 1992) is an American professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the California Golden Bears before leaving after his junior year. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the th ...

, American football wide receiver *

Keenan Cornelius Keenan Kai-James Cornelius is an American martial artist. His competitive achievements include what is called the Double Grand Slam in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having won double gold medals at four major tournaments: the World Jiu-Jitsu Champions ...

, American jiu-jitsu practitioner * Keenan Clayton, American football linebacker *

Keenan Evans Keenan Evans (born August 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball at Texas Tech University. College career A 6’3” point guar ...

(born 1996), American basketball player * Keenan Hollahan, pseudonym for advice columnist * Keenan McCardell, former American football wide receiver * Keenan O'Mailia, American murder victim *

Keenan Robinson Keenan Robinson (born July 7, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas, and was selected by the Washington Redskins in ...

, American football linebacker *

Kenan Thompson Kenan Thompson (; born May 10, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' since Saturday Night Live season 29, 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the ...

, American actor and comedian *

Keenen Ivory Wayans Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans (born June 8, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, director and filmmaker. He is a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Wayans first came to prominence as the host and creator of the 1990–1994 Fox sketch c ...

, American comedian, director and writer *

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his wikt:stock-in-trade, stock-in-trade; though he rarely carried the leading actor, lead role, h ...

, American character actor

Last name

Brian Keenan (Irish republican) Brian Paschal KeenanMaume, Patrick (2014"Keenan, Brian Paschal" ''Dictionary of Irish Biography''. Retrieved 9 October 2024. (17 July 1941 – 21 May 2008) was a member of the Army Council of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) wh ...

, Provisional IRA member *

Brian Keenan (musician born 1943) Brian Edmund Peter Keenan (January 28, 1943 – October 5, 1985) was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the Chambers Brothers. Born in New York, he also lived in Conisbrough near Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, and Ireland a ...

, American musician *

Brian Keenan (writer) Brian Keenan (born 28 September 1950) is an Irish writer whose work includes the book ''An Evil Cradling'', an account of the four and a half years he spent as a hostage in Beirut, Lebanon from 11 April 1986 to 24 August 1990. Life Keenan wa ...

, Irish journalist and hostage *

Brigid Keenan Brigid Ann Keenan (born 1939) is an author and journalist. She was born in Ambala, India, where her father was an officer in the British Indian Army during the British Raj, Raj. Her family repatriated to the United Kingdom after Indian Independe ...

, British/Irish writer of best-selling memoirs "Diplomatic Baggage" *

Cathy Keenan ''Cathy'' is an American gag-a-day comic strip, drawn by Cathy Guisewite from 1976 until 2010. The comic follows Cathy, a woman who struggles through the "four basic guilt groups" of life: food, love, family, and work. The strip gently pokes fu ...

, Canadian television actor *

Celia Keenan-Bolger Celia Keenan-Bolger (born January 26, 1978) is an American actress and singer. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for portraying Scout Finch in the play ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (2018). She has also been Tony-nominated f ...

, American stage actor and singer *

David Keenan David Keenan (born April 1971) is a Scottish writer and author of five novels. Career He used to run the Glasgow record shop, distribution company and record label Volcanic Tongue. Journalism His work for ''The Wire'' (for whom he wrote f ...

, Scottish writer and musician *

Deborah Keenan Deborah Keenan (born 1950, in Minneapolis) is an American poet. Life She is an editor for Milkweed Editions. She also teaches at Hamline University. She lives with her husband, Stephen Seidel, who is the director of urban programs for Habitat for ...

, American poet and educator *

Don Keenan Don C. Keenan (born 1951) is an Atlanta, Georgia-based trial lawyer and author. He is the head partner in the Keenan Law Firm, which specializes in cases involving children, including injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death. He is most ...

, Canadian ice hockey goaltender *

Donal Keenan Daniel Patrick Keenan (10 March 1919 – 19 September 1990) was an Irish Gaelic games administrator, Gaelic football coach, selector and former player. He was the president of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1973 until 1976. Born in El ...

, Irish Gaelic games administrator *

Edward L. Keenan Edward Louis "Ned" Keenan Jr. (May 14, 1935 – March 9, 2015) was an American professor of history at Harvard University who specialized in medieval Russian history (especially the cultural and the political history of Muscovy). He became a ...

, American historian of medieval Russia *

Emma Keenan Emma Keenan (born November 26, 1997) is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Shenzhen KRS of the Chinese Women's Ice Hockey League (WCIHL). She previously played for the Buffalo Beauts and Connecticut Whale of the Pre ...

, Canadian ice hockey player *

Frank Keenan Frank Keenan (born James Francis Keenan; April 8, 1858 – February 24, 1929) was an American stage and film actor and stage director and manager during the silent-film era. He was among the first stage actors to star in Hollywood, and he purs ...

, American stage and screen actor and director * Frank Keenan (hurler) Irish hurling player * Harold Keenan, English footballer *

Harry Keenan Harry George Keenan (June 15, 1867, Richmond, Indiana – April 18, 1944, Santa Ana, California) was an early American silent film actor. He starred in about 45 silent films mostly shot between 1912 and 1916, including '' The Highest Bid'', ...

, American screen actor *

Helen Grace Scott Keenan Helen Grace Reswick Scott Keenan (June 16, 1915 – November 20, 1987), more commonly, Helen Grace Scott, was a United States citizen employed in the Office of Strategic Services and later the Office of U.S Chief Counsel for Prosecution of Axis W ...

, American journalist, OSS employee and Soviet spy * Henry Francis Keenan, American journalist and author * Jack Keenan (boxer) (1929–2009), Canadian boxer *

Joe Keenan (footballer) Joseph John Keenan (born 14 October 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a left midfielder. Club career Keenan started his career with Premier League club Chelsea. He made his first-team debut for Chelsea in 2002 as ...

, British footballer *

Joe Keenan (writer) Joe Keenan (born July 14, 1958) is an American screenwriter, television producer and novelist. Known for his television work on series like ''Frasier'' and ''Desperate Housewives'', Keenan has been referred to as the "gay P.G. Wodehouse" for his t ...

, American writer and playwright *

John Keenan (Medal of Honor) John Keenan (1840s–March 18, 1906) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States involving "bravery in sc ...

, U.S. Army soldier * John F. Keenan, American attorney and federal judge * John R. Keennan (1940–2015), American baseball scout *

Joseph B. Keenan Joseph Berry Keenan (11 January 1888 – 8 December 1954) was an American lawyer best known for serving as Chief Prosecutor for the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. He previously served as Assistant Attorney General in the adm ...

, chief prosecutor in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East *

Joseph Henry Keenan Joseph Henry Keenan (August 24, 1900 – July 17, 1977) was an American thermodynamicist and mechanical engineer noted for his work in the calculation of steam tables, research in jet-rocket propulsion, and his work in furthering the development ...

, American thermodynamicist * Lillie Keenan (born 1996), American show jumping rider * Luke A. Keenan (1872–1924), New York politician *

Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, philanthropist, record producer, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool (band), Tool, A Perfe ...

, American singer of bands Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer *

Mike Keenan Michael Edward Keenan (born October 21, 1949) is a Canadian-American former professional hockey coach. Previously, he served as head coach and/or general manager with several NHL teams between 1984 and 2009. He currently ranks fifth in playoff win ...

, Canadian ice hockey manager *

Nancy Keenan Nancy Keenan (born February 14, 1952) is an American politician, and was from 2015 until 2019 the executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. Prior to that, she was elected to several terms in the Montana House of Representatives (1983� ...

, American politician and pro-choice campaigner *

Norbert Keenan Sir Norbert Michael Keenan QC (30 January 1864 – 24 April 1954) was an Australian lawyer and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1905 to 1911 and again from 1930 to 1950. He was the leader of the ...

, Australian politician *

Paddy Keenan Paddy Keenan (born 30 January 1950) is an Irish player of the uilleann pipes who first gained fame as a founding member of The Bothy Band. Since that group's dissolution in the late 1970s, Keenan has released a number of solo and collaborati ...

, Irish uilleann piper *

Pepper Keenan Pepper J. Keenan (born May 8, 1967) is an American guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with heavy metal bands Corrosion of Conformity and Down. He joined Corrosion of Conformity in 1989, but did not become the lead singer until th ...

, American musician with Corrosion of Conformity *

Peter Keenan Peter Patrick Pius Paul "Crackers" Keenan (born 7 April 1951) is a former Australian rules footballer who worked as a strapper for Bart Cummings, and played with Melbourne, Essendon and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League. Keenan ...

("Crackers" Keenan), former Australian rules footballer * Peter Keenan (boxer), Scottish boxer of the 1940s, and 1950s *

Philip Childs Keenan Philip Childs Keenan (March 31, 1908 – April 20, 2000) was an American astronomer. Keenan was an American spectroscopist who collaborated with William Wilson Morgan and Edith Kellman (1911–2007) to develop the MKK stellar spectral class ...

(1908–2000), American astronomer * Phuwaryne Keenan (born 1988), Thai singer * Roy Keenan (1930–2003), Canadian boxer * Sinead Keenan, Irish actress *

Shy Keenan Shy Keenan (also known as Karen Wootton and Karen Claridge) is a British author, child sexual abuse survivor, and founder of Phoenix Survivors, an advocacy group for victims of sexual abuse. Keenan is known for her biography ''Broken'', in which sh ...

, British author, child sexual abuse survivor, and founder of Phoenix Survivors *

Sterling James Keenan Matthew Polinsky (born February 24, 1984) is an American wrestling color commentator and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Corey Graves as the color commentator on the NXT brand. Graves is ...

, American pro wrestler *

Tamra Keenan Tamra Keenan is an Irish singer/songwriter. She has collaborated with many of the world's leading electronic dance music producers. Keenan also writes music for television and film, and writes lyrics for and collaborates with many other recordin ...

, British singer * Terry Keenan, American broadcast television business correspondent * Tim Keenan III (born 2002), American football player *

Trish Keenan Patricia Anne Keenan (28 September 1968 – 14 January 2011) was an English musician and singer. She was the lead vocalist and founding member of the electronic band Broadcast, which she formed in 1995. The band released a total of five studio a ...

, English singer and composer * Vernon Keenan, American law enforcement officer ;Fictional *

Gareth Keenan Gareth Keenan (born 17 April 1971) is a fictional paper salesman from the BBC sitcom ''The Office'', portrayed by Mackenzie Crook. Gareth is a self-important team leader proud of his alleged Lieutenant status in the Territorial Army. He spends hi ...

, character from UK television series ''The Office''

References

{{given name, type=both English-language surnames Anglicised Irish-language surnames Surnames of Irish origin