O'Keeffe Surname

26,682nd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 20,142 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Ireland
Highest density in:
Ireland

O'Keeffe Surname Definition:

Ó Caoimh An important and numerous Munster sept. IF 194; Map Cork

Read More About This Surname

O'Keeffe Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland10,2851:45864
Australia4,3241:6,243909
England3,3791:16,4902,392
United States1,0011:362,09732,264
New Zealand4021:11,2641,965
Canada3171:116,23212,335
Wales1541:20,0942,123
Argentina811:527,69638,577
Spain791:591,79827,792
Scotland621:86,3526,198
Northern Ireland561:32,9473,302
South Africa301:1,805,92385,708
Singapore261:211,83510,313
France261:2,554,720189,486
Sweden181:547,04239,827
Netherlands141:1,206,22770,951
Isle of Man101:8,5821,778
Germany91:8,945,051266,530
Thailand81:8,829,793476,604
Switzerland71:1,173,27469,697
Italy61:10,192,781121,657
United Arab Emirates61:1,527,04651,993
Malaysia51:5,898,845196,803
Jersey51:19,8403,614
Belgium41:2,874,161111,046
Cayman Islands41:15,9731,430
Bahrain41:337,1526,054
Brazil41:53,518,583632,670
Denmark31:1,881,57267,227
Austria21:4,257,71899,224
Poland21:19,004,374199,659
Bolivia21:5,308,21712,400
China21:683,660,78330,601
Czechia21:5,316,734169,646
Finland21:2,748,35172,663
Hong Kong21:3,667,74211,574
Iceland21:190,0456,825
Israel21:4,278,817136,311
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Fiji11:894,3914,568
Guam11:160,1214,893
Belize11:355,4743,977
India11:767,065,3821,851,717
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Kuwait11:3,800,69427,187
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Panama11:3,912,25817,195
Cambodia11:15,487,14614,824
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland4,3491:1,019185
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1661:146,84013,053
Wales161:98,0264,293
Scotland21:1,871,60827,884
Isle of Man21:27,1351,659
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States5441:92,3149,476

O'Keeffe Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Ó Caoimh An important and numerous Munster sept. IF 194; Map Cork

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(Celtic) the Irish O’Caoimh (mh as v) = Descendant of Caomh, i.e. the Beautiful [v. O’-, and Keef(e]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(Celtic) the Irish O’Caoimh (mh as v) = Descendant of Caomh, i.e. the Beautiful

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(Irish) Grandson of Caohm (beautiful, noble).

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

This ancient Munster sept derive" from Art Caemh-the last two letters being pronounced in Irish as F, or rather as V-who was himself the son of Finguine, King of Munster, whose death in 902 the Four Masters record, as they do that of Ceallach O'Caemh in 1063." D'Alton.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

O'KEEFE: The descendant of Kief. Kief, in the Danish, signifies brave, stout, courageous.

Ludus Patronymicus (1868) by Richard Stephen Charnock

User-submitted Reference

O'Keeffe likely comes from, caomh, meaning 'kind' or 'gentle' in the Irish Gaelic language. The feminine form of the original is Ní Chaoimh. As the primary sept of the Eóganacht Glendamnach, the family were once Kings of Munster from the 6th to the 8th centuries.

- leeanthonyfl

O'Keeffe Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name O'Keeffe Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name O'Keeffe occurs more in Ireland more than any other country/territory. It may also be found as:. For other potential spellings of O'Keeffe click here.

How Common Is The Last Name O'Keeffe? popularity and diffusion

This surname is the 26,682nd most frequent last name world-wide, borne by approximately 1 in 361,808 people. O'Keeffe is primarily found in Europe, where 70 percent of O'Keeffe reside; 69 percent reside in Northern Europe and 69 percent reside in British Isles.

O'Keeffe is most frequently occurring in Ireland, where it is carried by 10,285 people, or 1 in 458. In Ireland it is most prevalent in: Munster, where 53 percent reside, Leinster, where 34 percent reside and Connaught, where 2 percent reside. Other than Ireland it is found in 52 countries. It is also found in Australia, where 21 percent reside and England, where 17 percent reside.

O'Keeffe Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of O'Keeffe has changed through the years. In Ireland the share of the population with the last name expanded 236 percent between 1901 and 2014; in England it expanded 2,036 percent between 1881 and 2014; in The United States it expanded 184 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Wales it expanded 963 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Scotland it expanded 3,100 percent between 1881 and 2014.

O'Keeffe Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those holding the O'Keeffe surname is primarily Catholic (98%) in Ireland.

The amount O'Keeffe earn in different countries varies markedly. In United States they earn 57.46% more than the national average, earning $67,942 USD per year and in Canada they earn 17.02% more than the national average, earning $58,139 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
O'Keeffee9421/
O'Keeffer940/
O'Keefe9322,477/
Okeeffe933,563/
O'Keffe9328/
O'Keeff930/
O'Kieffe8852/
O'Keiffe8845/
O'Keefee8811/
Okeeffee888/
Oikeeffe887/
O'Keffee885/
Okkeeffe883/
O'Keeffs881/
O'Keeffa880/
O'Keaffe880/
Okeefe8619,196/
O'Keef8662/
Okeffe8629/
O'Kefe865/
Okeeff862/
O'Keff860/
Okieffe8047/
O'Keife8037/
Okeiffe8017/
Okeefee8015/
O'Keiff807/
Okeffie806/
Okeefep805/
Okeffee804/
O'Kiefe802/
O'Kieff802/
Ookeefe802/
O'Keeve801/
Okeefes801/
Gokeffe801/
O'Kefee801/
Ockeefe800/
Okeaffe800/
Okefe77367/
Okeef7792/
O'Kef771/
Okeff770/
D'Okeefe751/
Okeife7155/
Okiffe7136/
Gokefe7127/
O'Kief7126/
Ozkefe7125/
Akeefe7118/
Okeiff7116/
Okiefe7113/
Okeffi718/
Okeafe715/
Okieff714/
Okefer712/
Okefee712/
Okesfe712/
Okedfe711/
O'Keif711/
O'Kyff711/
Akeffe711/
Okefeh711/
Okeefi711/
Okeefa710/
Okef6719/
O'Ceaff671/
Okeafer671/

Search for Another Surname

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

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 O'Keeffe
  • 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