Total births
18,176
Boys' name · since 1942
Keenan
Keenan has 18,176 recorded births since 1942 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1997 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1214
- among boys today
- 18,176
- born since 1942
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other boys
18,176 babies have been named Keenan since 1942, making it today's #1214 boys' name.
Keenan has 18,176 recorded births among boys since 1942, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1214 as of the latest data, more common than 92% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1942 to 2025.
- #1214 among boys today
- 18,176 born since 1942
- 1990s peak decade
- 92% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Keenan is currently the #1214 boys' name in America, more common than 92% of boys - 18,176 born since 1942, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1214
- among boys today
- 18,176
- born since 1942
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other boys
Keenan vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1214
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 92% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Keenan was born in this single decade.
1997
Single peak year
717 babies were named Keenan in 1997 - its busiest year on record.
How Keenan compares
18,176 Top 6% higher than 94% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Keenan's all-time total is 50x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Keenan | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 18,176 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 717 | 23 | 22,252 |
Keenan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Keenan's full recorded timeline at 1985, 82% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 18% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1942, with just 7 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1997 peak of 717 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Keenan at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1997
Current rank
#1,214
Active since
1942
Keenan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1942–2025
- Peak year (1997)
- 717
- Annual births at peak, across 84 years of records
Keenan popularity over time - girls
339 total births recorded since 1964 (Keenan as girls' name)
Keenan by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Keenan's strongest decade.
5,987 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Keenan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 70
1940s
70 births
- 1950s 292
1950s
292 births
- 1960s 866
1960s
866 births
- 1970s 1,173
1970s
1,173 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,519 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,987 births
- 2000s
2000s
3,683 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,481 births
- 2020s 1,105
2020s
1,105 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 5,987 births (33% of all-time use).
How Keenan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Keenan's total volume
Keenan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Keenan by state
Where Keenan concentrates geographically, total births since 1942
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,559 | 8.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,194 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 930 | 5.1% |
| #4 | New York | | 817 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 654 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Florida | | 621 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 613 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 519 | 2.9% |
California share of Keenan's total US births 8.6%
Even split
1,559 of 18,176 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Keenan appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Keenan? ▼
Keenan has been given to 18,176 babies in the U.S. since 1942, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #1214 as of the latest data. 717 babies were born in 1997, its single highest year.
When was Keenan most popular? ▼
Keenan was most popular in the 1990s decade with 5,987 total births. The single peak year was 1997.
Where is Keenan most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Keenan are California (1,559 births), Texas (1,194 births), Illinois (930 births).
How long has the name Keenan been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Keenan since 1942 -- 84 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Keenan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Keegan, Keelan, Kee, Keenen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Keenan's data
- Keenan's decade-level peak was the 1990s (5,987 total births); usage has since declined to 1,105 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Keenans (1,559 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Keenan
Nearby Names Like Keenan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Keenan
Keegan Boy
#594 38,519 births
Keelan Boy
#2176 3,591 births
Kee Boy
1,406 births
Keenen Boy
1,181 births
Keeton Boy
#10171 924 births
Compare Keenan side by side: Keenan vs Keegan Keenan vs Keelan Keenan vs Kee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Keenan
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1942–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Keenan: #1214 Boys' Name - 18,176 Births, Peak 1997." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/keenan. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Keenan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.