Keefe Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Keefe last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Keefe last name
Meaning of the Keefe last name: a grandson of Caomh (beautiful, gentle). Keefe is an Irish surname. Elsdon Smith explains the name as a grandson of Caomh (beautiful, gentle). The Keefe surname therefore began with a given name rather than a place or trade. Modern surname data shows Keefe bearers in the United States, England and Canada.
Arms associated with the Keefe name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full Keefe family history
This is only a glimpse of the Keefe story. The full Keefe history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Keefe coat of arms. Get the full Keefe report.
Keefe name FAQ
What does the Keefe name mean?
A grandson of Caomh (beautiful, gentle). Common variants include Keeffe.
Where does the Keefe surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States and England.
Is there a Keefe coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Keefe coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.