Keenan is an Irish surname 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 the Son ...

). The

Ó Cianáin Ó Cianáin was the name of a Gaelic-Irish Brehon family. They were originally erenaghs of the parish of Cleenish, Lough Erne, but who had served for several centuries as historians to Mag Uidir of Fear Manach (2007, p. 437). The Annals o ...

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 counties

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), 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 al ...

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), barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...

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

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

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, American football wide receiver * Keenan Cornelius, American jiu-jitsu practitioner * Keenan Clayton, American football linebacker *

Keenan Evans Keenan Evans (born August 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball at Texas Tech University. College career A 6’3� ...

(born 1996), American basketball player *

Keenan Hollahan Keenan (Cianán) is a male Irish name which means "ancient, distant". ''Keenan'' is an Anglicisation of the Irish name ''Cianán'' which is a diminutive of ''Cian''. The Ó Cianáin clan (Keenan) were the traditional historians to the McGuire clan ...

, pseudonym for advice columnist *

Keenan McCardell Keenan Wayne McCardell (; born January 6, 1970) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the wide receivers c ...

, former American football wide receiver *

Keenan Robinson Keenan Robinson (born July 7, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Texas, and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He also played for the N ...

, American football linebacker * Kenan Thompson, American actor and comedian * Keenen Ivory Wayans, 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 stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in mos ...

, American character actor * Keenan Petersen, South African designer

Last name

* Brian Keenan (Irish republican), 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 Irelan ...

, American musician * Brian Keenan (writer), 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 Raj. Her family repatriated to the United Kingdom after India's independence in 19 ...

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

Cathy Keenan The following is a list of the characters from the ''Degrassi Classic'' era of the Canadian teen drama ''Degrassi'' franchise, created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. ''Degrassi Junior High'' was the second series in the ''Degrassi'' franc ...

, Canadian television actor * Celia Keenan-Bolger, American stage actor and singer *

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

, 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 director of urban programs for Habitat for Hum ...

, 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 n ...

, Canadian ice hockey goaltender * Donal Keenan, 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 prom ...

, American historian of medieval Russia *

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 pur ...

, American stage and screen actor and director *

Frank Keenan (hurler) Frank Keenan (born 1950 in Camross, County Laois, Ireland) is an Irish former hurling manager and former player. An effective full-forward, Keenan had a successful playing career at club level with Camross and at inter-county level with Laois. ...

Irish hurling player *

Harold Keenan Harold Keenan (born 20 December 1893, date of death unknown) was an English professional footballer. He spent his entire professional career with Blackpool in the early 1900s, making over 100 Football League appearances for the club. He playe ...

, 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, American journalist, OSS employee and Soviet spy *

Henry Francis Keenan Henry Francis Keenan (May 4, 1850(?) – March 7, 1928) was an American author, best known for his anonymously-published ''The Money-Makers'' (1885), a response to John Hay's ''The Bread-Winners'' (1883).

, American journalist and author *

Jack Keenan (boxer) Jack Keenan (14 September 1929 – 21 June 2009) was a Canadian boxer. He competed in the men's middleweight event at the 1948 Summer Olympics. At the 1948 Summer Olympics, he lost to Mick McKeon Mick McKeon (c. 1923 – 15 July 19 ...

(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 a ...

, British footballer *

Joe Keenan (writer) Joe Keenan (born July 14, 1958) is an American screenwriter, television producer and novelist. Early life Keenan was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts into an Irish American Catholic family. He has a twin brother, John, and two other siblings, R ...

, 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 John Fontaine Keenan (born November 23, 1929) is a senior United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Education and career Born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, Keenan graduated ...

, American attorney and federal judge *

John R. Keennan John Robert Keennan (May 10, 1940 – March 5, 2015) was an American baseball scout who worked from 1962 through 1998 for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Born in Great Bend, Kansas, Keenan was a longtime Dodgers scout. He was originally hir ...

(1940–2015), American baseball scout *

Joseph B. Keenan Joseph Berry Keenan (11 January 1888, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island – 8 December 1954, in Asheboro, North Carolina

, 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 Lillie Carmichael Keenan (born 4 October 1996) is an American show jumping rider. As a junior rider she won the ASPCA Maclay Finals, the USEF Medal Finals, and the Washington International Horse Show Equitation championship, as well as the USHJA I ...

(born 1996), American show jumping rider * Luke A. Keenan (1872–1924), New York politician * Maynard James Keenan, American singer of bands Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer * Mike Keenan, Canadian ice hockey manager *

Nancy Keenan Nancy Keenan (born February 14, 1952) is an American politician, and since 2015 the executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. Prior to that, she was elected to several terms in the Montana House of Representatives (1983–1989) and as ...

, American politician and pro-choice campaigner * Norbert Keenan, 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, American musician with Corrosion of Conformity * Peter Keenan ("Crackers" Keenan), former Australian rules footballer *

Peter Keenan (boxer) Peter Keenan (8 August 1928 — 27 July 2000 (aged 71)) was a Scottish amateur flyweight and professional fly/ bantam/featherweight boxer of the 1940s and 1950s. As an amateur, he was runner-up in the 1948 Amateur Boxing Association of Engl ...

, Scottish boxer of the 1940s, and 1950s * Philip Childs Keenan (1908-2000), American astronomer * Phuwaryne Keenan (born 1988), Thai singer *

Roy Keenan Roy Keenan (26 August 1930 – 21 May 2003) was a Canadian boxer. He competed in the men's light welterweight event at the 1952 Summer Olympics. His brother, Jack also was a boxer, competing at the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer ...

(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 currently signed to WWE as a commentator and analyst for ''Raw'' and '' SmackDown'' under the ring name Corey Graves. He is a ...

, 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 recordi ...

, British singer *

Terry Keenan Terry Keenan (June 1, 1961 – October 23, 2014) was an American economic/business columnist for the ''New York Post'', and a former anchor for CNN. Keenan was host of the Fox News stocks/investment program ''Cashin' In'' from 2001 to 2009, and a ...

, American broadcast television business correspondent *

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

References

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