Keenan — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Cianáin
Meaning: 'descendant of Cianán (little Cian)'
Traditional stronghold: Fermanagh, Monaghan
Pronunciation: KEE-nun; Irish Ó Cianáin: oh KEE-uh-naw-in
History of the Keenan name
Ó Cianáin comes from a diminutive of the old personal name Cian, meaning ancient or enduring. The family were professional men of learning in medieval Ulster, serving as hereditary chroniclers and historians to the Maguires of Fermanagh, and they kept that scholarly tradition for centuries. Its most famous product is Tadhg Ó Cianáin's eyewitness narrative of the Flight of the Earls, the remarkable diary of O'Neill and O'Donnell's journey to Rome in 1607 and 1608. The name remains most common in the south Ulster counties of Fermanagh, Monaghan, Armagh and Louth, and has also long been established in Dublin.
Variants: Keanan · O'Keenan
Famous bearers of the name
- Tadhg Ó Cianáin — Chronicler who wrote the contemporary account of the Flight of the Earls.
- Paddy Keenan — Uilleann piper and founding member of the Bothy Band, from a famed Traveller piping family.
- Brian Keenan — Belfast writer held hostage in Beirut for four years, author of An Evil Cradling.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Connolly · Maguire · Duffy · Flanagan · McMahon · Cassidy · McKenna · McCabe