NameCensus.

UK surname

Mckeen

A Scottish occupational surname referring to a keeper of hounds or a maker of hound collars.

In the 1881 census there were 94 people recorded with the Mckeen surname, ranking it #20,467 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 385, ranked #12,232, up from #20,467 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kirkintilloch, Dover St James, Dover St Mary and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Glenrothes Auchmuty, IZ18 and Falkland and Freuchie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mckeen is 387 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 309.6%.

1881 census count

94

Ranked #20,467

Modern count

385

2016, ranked #12,232

Peak year

2010

387 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mckeen had 94 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,467 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 385 in 2016, ranked #12,232.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 157 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mckeen surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mckeen surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mckeen surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mckeen over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 52 #23,915
1861 historical 55 #27,007
1881 historical 94 #20,467
1891 historical 157 #17,778
1901 historical 107 #21,955
1911 historical 74 #25,423
1997 modern 345 #12,291
1998 modern 349 #12,567
1999 modern 352 #12,552
2000 modern 339 #12,857
2001 modern 339 #12,641
2002 modern 350 #12,620
2003 modern 346 #12,511
2004 modern 343 #12,616
2005 modern 342 #12,579
2006 modern 355 #12,316
2007 modern 353 #12,521
2008 modern 351 #12,661
2009 modern 358 #12,736
2010 modern 387 #12,301
2011 modern 383 #12,244
2012 modern 366 #12,520
2013 modern 373 #12,550
2014 modern 379 #12,483
2015 modern 378 #12,405
2016 modern 385 #12,232

Geography

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Where Mckeens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kirkintilloch, Dover St James, Dover St Mary, Manchester, Dumfries and Brancepeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Glenrothes Auchmuty, IZ18, Falkland and Freuchie, Dover and Methil Methilhill. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Kirkintilloch Dunbarton
2 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Dumfries Dumfries
5 Brancepeth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Glenrothes Auchmuty Fife
2 IZ18 West Dunbartonshire
3 Falkland and Freuchie Fife
4 Dover 006 Dover
5 Methil Methilhill Fife

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mckeen

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mckeen surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mckeen

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mckeen, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Mckeen surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Mckeen household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Mckeen is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mckeen is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mckeen falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mckeen is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mckeen, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mckeen

The surname McKeen is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic name "MacIan" or "MacKeyne," which translates to "son of Iain" or "son of Keyne." The name can be traced back to the late 12th century in the highlands of Scotland.

The earliest known record of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "John McKene, del counte de Ayr" refers to a John McKeen from the county of Ayr.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "McKene," "McKeen," and "McKean," in various Scottish records and charters. One notable example is Sir Robert McKene, who served as a Commissioner for the County of Ayr in 1364.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McKeen family held lands in Argyllshire and the Hebrides islands. Prominent members included Angus McKeen, a supporter of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, and Donald McKeen, a noted scholar and minister who was born in 1591 and died in 1662.

In the late 17th century, the McKeen name began to spread beyond Scotland, with some members migrating to Ireland and the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was James McKeen, who was born in Ireland in 1658 and later settled in New Hampshire, becoming a prominent landowner and civic leader.

Another notable figure was Joseph McKeen, who was born in 1757 in Londonderry, New Hampshire. He served as the first president of Bowdoin College in Maine from 1802 until his death in 1807. The college's McKeen Center for the Common Good is named in his honor.

In the 19th century, the McKeen name appeared in various parts of the United States, with families settling in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. One notable bearer was James McKeen, a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, who was born in 1826 and died in 1879.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mckeen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mckeen surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Cumberland leads with 7 Mckeens recorded in 1881 and an index of 83.53x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 7 83.53x
Lancashire 2 1.73x
Kent 1 3.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Cuthbert W O in Cumberland leads with 7 Mckeens recorded in 1881 and an index of 1707.32x.

Place Total Index
St Cuthbert W O 7 1707.32x
Walton On Hill 2 317.46x
Dover St Mary Virgin 1 312.50x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mckeen surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Annie 1
Elizabeth 1
Isabella 1
Sarah 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mckeen surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Robert 2
Alexander 1
Piluck 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mckeen households.

FAQ

Mckeen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mckeen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 94 people were recorded with the Mckeen surname. That placed it at #20,467 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mckeen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 385 in 2016. That gives Mckeen a modern rank of #12,232.

What does the Mckeen surname mean?

A Scottish occupational surname referring to a keeper of hounds or a maker of hound collars.

What does the Mckeen map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mckeen bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.