Keighrey Surname

3,017,195th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 42 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Ireland
Highest density in:
Jersey

Keighrey Surname Definition:

In Irish Families (p. 73) the Gaelic surname Mac Fhiachra is described as nearly extinct. This is true so far as its earlier and phonetic anglicizations-Keaghry, Keighry and Keahery —— are concerned, very few families so called being now extant, though they are not unknown in east Galway and the neighbourhood of Athlone.

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Keighrey Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland191:247,8399,475
England101:5,571,806158,774
Jersey71:14,1722,872
Australia51:5,399,140162,351
United States11:362,458,9331,988,048
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland241:184,5789,087

Keighrey Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

In Irish Families (p. 73) the Gaelic surname Mac Fhiachra is described as nearly extinct. This is true so far as its earlier and phonetic anglicizations-Keaghry, Keighry and Keahery —— are concerned, very few families so called being now extant, though they are not unknown in east Galway and the neighbourhood of Athlone. It would appear, however, that the Co. Galway sept of Mac Fhiachra does survive in considerable numbers, but under the alias of Carey. At the same time it must be remembered that Carey has been adopted as the anglicized form of several other Irish surnames,† and the majority of the numerous families so called belong to a sept of the southern Uí Néill, originally located in south Ulster and north Leinster, not to that of Mac Fhiachra. This probably applies to some extant also to the Mac Fhiachra sept of the Cinel Fearadaigh (of the northern Uí Néil) who were still called MacKeaghery, and lso MacGeaghery, in the seventeenth century, as the hearth money rolls attest. An Armagh inquisition taken in 1444 before Primate Mey found one Nemeas MacKeaghery, a nativus, to be the rightful heir to the lands commonly called the lands of MacKeaghery.

†To those given on pp. 73, 74 (op. cit.) the Norman name Carew may be added, which in fact is often pronounced Carey by the people bearing it.

Supplement to Irish Families (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

Keighrey Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Keighrey Come From? nationality or country of origin

Keighrey is held by more people in Ireland than any other country or territory. It can also be rendered in the variant forms:. For other potential spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Keighrey? popularity and diffusion

The last name is the 3,017,195th most prevalent last name on a global scale It is held by approximately 1 in 173,512,998 people. The surname Keighrey occurs mostly in Europe, where 86 percent of Keighrey are found; 86 percent are found in Northern Europe and 86 percent are found in British Isles.

Keighrey is most common in Ireland, where it is borne by 19 people, or 1 in 247,839. In Ireland it is most numerous in: Connaught, where 100 percent reside. Outside of Ireland Keighrey is found in 4 countries. It also occurs in England, where 24 percent reside and Jersey, where 17 percent reside.

Keighrey Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Keighrey has changed through the years. In Ireland the share of the population with the last name declined 21 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Keighrey Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the Keighrey surname is primarily Catholic (100%) in Ireland.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Keighry930/
Kegrey861/
Kighry860/
Kaigre7151/
Khegre7114/
Kuigre719/
Kagrey711/
Kegray711/
Keigri711/
Kegrer710/
Keagry710/
Kaigere67434/
Kegreiß67125/
Khengre6761/
Kegreis6737/
Koigere678/
Kanghre676/
Kiyagre673/
Khingre672/
Kigreth672/
Kigeere671/
Kaiagre671/
Chigrey671/
Keigeri671/
Kighrga671/
Cheigre671/
Keagery670/
Kegreiz670/

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Keighrey
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis