Surname Spotlight: Keenaghan

Whether you spell it Keenaghan or Keenan, the story begins in the same place. Name scholars give the meaning as “descendant of Cianán, 'ancient'”.

• Regional accents shaped spellings long before dictionaries fixed them.
• Other spellings include Kenan and Kinnane.
• The ending -ghan in Keenaghan marks an Irish derivative of the root behind Keenan.

Heraldry and the Keenaghan name

Arms linked to Keenan and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to. Get the complete Keenaghan report, with a museum-style coat of arms.