Kehoe
An Irish surname most commonly traced to Mac Eochaidh, meaning “son of Eochaidh,” with the personal name linked to “horseman” or a horse-related root.
The #4,602 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 40,055 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kehoe is generally treated as an anglicized form of the Irish Mac Eochaidh. The older Gaelic personal name Eochaidh is traditionally connected with the word for a horse, so the name has often been glossed as something like “horseman” or “descendant of the horse-related one.” In English records the Mac- prefix was often dropped or altered, producing shortened forms such as Kehoe and related spellings.
History
The surname is especially associated with Ireland, and the historical sources here show it appearing in Irish surname lists and regional counts. Nineteenth-century writers commonly grouped Kehoe with Keogh and related forms, reflecting the same Gaelic origin. The name remains well established in Ireland and in Irish diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Matheson’s Irish surname statistics, Kehoe appears among recorded Irish family names and is shown with regional concentrations, including Cork.
From the historical record
“Kegley. See Quigley Kehoe. Fr. Cahot, Cahut, Cayeux ; p.n. Or see Keogh W. de Keheu in Rot. Obi. et Fin., K. John. Keighley. A loc. n., Lancs, Yorks”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)