McKeon — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Mac Eoghain
Meaning: 'son of Eoghan'
Traditional stronghold: Leitrim, Sligo
Pronunciation: mick-KYONE (also mick-KEE-on); Irish Mac Eoghain: mock OWE-in
History of the McKeon name
McKeon derives from Mac Eoghain or Mac Eoin, 'son of Eoghan' or of Eoin (John), and like other simple patronymics it arose in more than one place. The Connacht McKeons of Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon are the largest group, while the McKeowns of Antrim and Down represent a separate Ulster family of galloglass descent. The revolutionary general Seán Mac Eoin, the Blacksmith of Ballinalee, was born John Joseph McKeon in Longford and regaelicised his name, illustrating how fluid the forms remained into the twentieth century.
Variants: McKeown · MacEoin · McKone · Keown
Famous bearers of the name
- Seán Mac Eoin — The Blacksmith of Ballinalee, IRA general and later government minister, born John Joseph McKeon.
- Belinda McKeon — Longford-born novelist, author of Solace and Tender.
- Jack McKeon — Irish-American baseball manager who won the 2003 World Series with the Marlins at age 72.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: McGowan · Boland · Higgins · Feeney · Clancy · O'Dowd · O'Hara · Harte