boy's name
Keegan
KEE-gun
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 50,764
the United States
#621
2025 births
Keegan descends from a pagan god, not a small flame — Aodh was the Irish deity of fire and the sun, and the diminutive gloss softens a name that originally invoked him. Aodh was one of the commonest early Irish names.
- Keegan is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2007, when 1,888 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 6,671 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1965.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Keegan over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 14 |
| 1970s | 373 |
| 1980s | 2,049 |
| 1990s | 7,212 |
| 2000s | 15,335 |
| 2010s | 13,884 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,457 |
What Keegan means
Keegan means descendant of the son of Aodh. Aodh is the name of an Irish fire deity, so the fire in the name is divine rather than a description of a spark.
Where Keegan comes from
Keegan anglicizes the Irish Mac Aodhagáin, son of Aodhagán — a double diminutive of Aodh, the pre-Christian god of fire and the sun. Aodh was one of the commonest early Irish names and survives anglicized as Hugh, which is unrelated in origin. The small flame reading treats the diminutive as describing size; it describes affection, and the fire belongs to the god. The MacEgan family were hereditary lawyers in Connacht.
Keegan in use
Keegan peaked in the United States in 2007, when 1,888 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 338th in Northern Ireland on 5 births, 371st in Ireland on 11, 525th in Scotland on 6, 621st in the United States on 497 and 975th in England and Wales on 32, across 50,764 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Keegan?
In 2025, Keegan was given to 497 babies in the United States, ranking #621 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Keegan is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Keegan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Keegan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Keegan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Keegan in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Keegan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Keegan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Keegan
What does the name Keegan mean?
Descendant of the son of Aodh, an Irish god of fire and the sun.
Does it mean small flame?
Loosely. The diminutive marks affection, not size, and the fire belongs to the god.
Is Hugh related?
Aodh was anglicized as Hugh, but the two names are unrelated in origin.
Where is Keegan used?
Five of our six markets, strongest in Northern Ireland at 338th.
How popular is the name Keegan?
In 2025, Keegan was given to 497 babies in the United States, ranking #621 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Keegan a girl's or a boy's name?
Keegan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Keegan?
Keegan has 2 syllables.
When was Keegan most popular?
Keegan peaked in 2007, when 1,888 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Keegan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Keegan currently ranks #338 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.