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Irish surname

O'Keeffe: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Caoimh · 'descendant of Caomh' (beautiful, noble, gentle, loveable)

Woulfe (1923) gives O'Keeffe and Keeffe as anglicised forms of Ó Caoimh, 'descendant of Caomh'. He says the O'Keeffes are of the royal race of Munster, of the same stock as the MacCarthys and O'Callaghans, first seated at Glanworth in the barony of Fermoy and later in Pobble O'Keeffe in the north-west of the barony of Duhallow. In 1890 more than half of the O'Keeffe birth entries in Ireland were in Cork.

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Coat of arms associated with the O'Keeffe surname
Irish formÓ Caoimh
Meaning'descendant of Caomh' (beautiful, noble, gentle, loveable)
CountiesCork, Limerick, Waterford, Kerry
Other spellings5

Origin of the O'Keeffe name

Woulfe: of the royal race of Munster, same stock as the MacCarthys and O'Callaghans, descended from Art Caomh, son of Fionghuine, King of Munster. Originally seated at Glanworth (Roches' country, barony of Fermoy); driven out shortly after the Anglo-Norman invasion, they settled in north-west Duhallow, which they named Pobble O'Keeffe.[1]

  1. 10th centuryWoulfe: 'Art Caomh who was son of Fionghuine, King of Munster, and flourished in the 10th century'.[1]
  2. 1582Earl of Desmond routs O'Keeffe; Art, son of Donnell, taken prisoner.[8]
  3. 1583O'Keeffe (Art, son of Donnell) slain; his son Art Oge installed.[8]
  4. 1602O'Sullivan's march reaches the borders of O'Keeffe's and Mac Auliffe's territories.[9]
  5. 1690'O KEEFE' appears in Sir James Terry's list of Irish septs.[6]
  6. 1890O'Keeffe: 83 birth entries including spelling varieties (76 spelled O'Keeffe), over half in Cork.[2][7]
  7. 1890Keeffe: 110 birth entries including spelling varieties (93 spelled Keeffe); principally Cork, Waterford, Kerry, Kilkenny.[3][7]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkFirst county named for O'Keeffe and Keeffe births in 1890; more than half of O'Keeffe entries.[2][3]
Co. LimerickAmong the counties where O'Keeffe births were principally found in 1890.[2]
Co. WaterfordAmong the counties where Keeffe births were principally found in 1890.[3]
Co. KerryAmong the counties where Keeffe births were principally found in 1890.[3]
Co. KilkennyAmong the counties where Keeffe births were principally found in 1890.[3]

Notable people named O'Keeffe

Eoghan O'Keefe1656–1726Irish poet born at Glenville, Co. Cork; parish priest of Doneraile; wrote a poem lamenting the defeat at Aughrim.[10]
John O'Keeffe1747–1833Dublin-born actor and dramatist; in London he wrote 'upwards of fifty comedies and farces' (Webb).[11][12]
Art O'Keeffed. 1583'O'Keeffe (Art the son of Donnell, son of Art, son of Owen), an eminent man, was slain' (Four Masters).[8]

Other spellings

Keeffe · O Keeve · O'Keefe · Keefe · Keafe[1][4]

The O'Keeffe coat of arms

'O KEEFE' is printed in the 'List of Names of Irish Septs as given in the Book of Arms, compiled by Sir James Terry, Athlone Herald (1690)', as reproduced by Matheson. The list gives sept names only; it does not describe any arms, and it does not mean that everyone named O'Keeffe is entitled to a coat of arms.[6]

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the O'Keeffe surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

O'Keeffe crest gifts

Clan Okeefe Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapVZ54 Classic Cap - Okeefe Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Okeefe Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Keefe Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapPP42 Classic Cap - Keefe Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Keefe Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Okeefe Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap FI68 Okeefe Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Okeefe Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00

O'Keeffe surname: questions

What does the surname O'Keeffe mean?

Woulfe gives O'Keeffe as a form of Ó Caoimh, 'descendant of Caomh', which he glosses as beautiful, noble, gentle, loveable.[1]

Where in Ireland is the O'Keeffe name from?

Woulfe says the O'Keeffes were originally seated at Glanworth in the barony of Fermoy and later settled in the north-west of the barony of Duhallow, which they named Pobble O'Keeffe. In 1890 O'Keeffe births were principally found in Cork, Limerick and Dublin, more than one-half being in Cork.[1][2]

Is Keeffe the same name as O'Keeffe?

Yes. Woulfe lists O'Keeffe and Keeffe as anglicised forms of Ó Caoimh, and Matheson's 1901 list gives Keefe and O'Keefe as spellings of Keeffe and O'Keeffe.[1][4][5]

Are the O'Keeffes related to the MacCarthys?

Woulfe says the O'Keeffes are of the royal race of Munster and of the same stock as the MacCarthys and O'Callaghans.[1]

Sources

  1. Ó Caoimh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-caoimh.php
  2. O'Keeffe — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/okeeffe.php
  3. Keeffe — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/keeffe.php
  4. Keeffe — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/979.php
  5. O'Keeffe — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1671.php
  6. List of Names of Irish Septs (Terry, 1690) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/irish-septs.php
  7. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1582–1583 (part 9) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text009.html
  9. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1602 (part 14) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005F/text014.html
  10. O'Keefe, Eoghan — Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900 (Norman Moore), Wikisource. en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/...
  11. John O'Keefe — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/JohnOKeefe.php
  12. O'Keeffe, John — Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900 (William John FitzPatrick), Wikisource. en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/...

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).