Keating
An Irish surname usually linked to an old Gaelic personal name, later also used by Anglo-Norman families in Ireland.
The #2,121 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,098 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Keating is generally treated as an Irish surname tied to a Gaelic personal name, with Woulfe citing the form Ceicinn as the underlying source and related spellings such as Keatinge. The exact early meaning of the Gaelic name is not fully certain from these older sources, but the surname functioned as a hereditary family name in Ireland. Some historical notices also connect Keating with Anglo-Norman or English families settled in Ireland, so the surname may have converged from more than one origin in Irish usage.
History
The name is well attested in Ireland by the medieval and early modern periods, and 19th-century writers note it among established Irish surnames. Matheson records Keating as a distinctly Irish name in census and return data, including Mac Keating and variant spellings. The surname is especially associated with Ireland, where it appears in both Gaelic and Anglo-Norman contexts.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older Irish surname lists often place Keating alongside both Gaelic and Anglo-Norman family names, showing how surnames could overlap across different social groups in Ireland.
From the historical record
“MAC KEEN > MAC KEATING (Celt.) Son of Keating, q.v. MAC KEE = MacKay, q.v. MAC KEEVER, for Mao Iver, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Keating
- Paul Keating (b. 1944)
- Ronan Keating (b. 1977)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.