Surname MacKeehan - Meaning and Origin
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MacKeehan: What does the surname MacKeehan mean?
The last name MacKeehan typically has Scottish or Irish roots. The original Gaelic name was “MacEachain”. This surname is derived from the old Celtic personal name Eachan, which means “horse-lord”. The surname also has the prefix “Mac”, which is common in Gaelic surnames known as patronymics. Mac eachan translates to “son of eachan”. Coincidentally, the word “eachan” is a combination of the old Irish term “eochu”, or “horse”, and “Chu,” meaning “lord” or “master”.
The name MacKeehan has been in existence in the British Isles since at least the mid-1600s. Records indicate that people with similar surnames were landowners in the Scottish Highlands, Galloway, and Argyll. These MacKeehans later spread out across Scotland, settling in Ulster in what is now Northern Ireland and eventually across the world.
People with the MacKeehan surname may be proud of their Scottish or Irish heritage, though some may not actually be of direct relation to each other. Today, this name is still very much in use and can be found in many forms, including MacKeenehan, McKeeghan, McKeone, MacEehan, MacKeon, MacKeough, and MacKeown.
Order DNA origin analysisMacKeehan: Where does the name MacKeehan come from?
The last name MacKeehan is of Scottish origin and is found mostly in Scotland today. It is a variation of the surname MacKie, which means "son of Kie", with "Kie" being a Celtic short form of the name George.
MacKeehan can be found in modern Scotland in cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Inverness, and Aberdeen. In addition, it is also common in Ulster, Northern Ireland. The name is derived from the old Gaelic clan form of Mac Aoidh, a patronymical version of “son of Aoidh”. In Scotland, Many MacKeehans settled in the Lowlands centuries ago, and the name is still in use today among the descendants of those original settlers.
Outside of Scotland, the MacKeehan surname can also be found in England, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with a number of different spellings, such as MacKeehan, MacKiehan, and MacKeeney. As previously mentioned, the Irish version of the name is Mac Aoidh, which originated in an Irish variant of the phrase “son of Aoidh”.
MacKeehan is a relatively uncommon surname in the English-speaking world, but it can still be found today in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England, the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Variations of the surname MacKeehan
The surname MacKeehan is derived from the Irish Mac Eochaidh, meaning "son of Eochaidh". Variations of the name include MacKehon, MacKeehan, McKeon, McKeehan, Keighan, McKahan, MacEchan, MacKoyne, McKehan and MacKeane. Many of the surnames derived from Mac Eochaidh have been anglicized to form phonetic variants. Other variants of the surname may include McKeighan, MacKaughan, MacKahan, MacKean, McKeaghan, or MacKehin.
The MacKeehan surname has also been spelt or changed to McKeehan, McKean, MacKean, MacKaine, McKaine and McKehn over the years. Depending on when and where a family settled, different variations of the spelling might have been adopted.
In recent years, MacKeehan families have become more widespread. This is largely due to the increased movement of Irish people all over the world in search of a better standard of living. As a result, the surname MacKeehan has been adopted in a variety of different countries, with a number of unique spelling variations. In the United States, for instance, the name has been anglicised to the form ‘McKeehan’, or ‘MacKeehan’.
The MacKeehan surname has strong ancestral ties to the Mid-Ulster area, but is now heard in many localities around the world. The name has endured and adapted with generations of MacKeehans, travelling and settling far and wide, and the variations of the surname continue to be used to this day.
Famous people with the name MacKeehan
- TobyMac (Toby McKeehan): a successful Christian hip-hop and pop artist
- Jane McKeehan: a character on the television show The Office
- David McKeehan: former chief investment officer of the University of Virginia endowment
- Renew McKeehan: highly sought after freelance digital artist
- Eliza McKeehan: acclaimed film editor
- Joe McKeehan: professional poker player known as 'The Tank'
- Frank McKeehan: CEO of the Deacon Board at St. Giles Presbyterian Church
- J. B. McKeehan: officer of the Manhattan Project during World War II
- Lee McKeehan: Hall of Fame baseball pitcher
- Tom McKeehan: Air Force test pilot and record-holder for the longest-duration aerobatic performance