O'Keefe is an Irish surname, from the (Irish:O'Caoimh/Caomh.) It has links to Irish Royalty, with the family descendant by Cathal mac Finguine whose father Art Caemh was known as the King of Munster.

O'Keefe/O'Keeffe is related to Kavanagh.^[1] The name comes from MacMurrough, often anglicized as McMurphy, Murray and Murphy.

O'Keefe/O'Keeffe is related to "Kerin" ("son of kieran") formed as Carey along with other names including Keighry, McKeary, and "MacFhearadhaigh".^[2]

O'Keefe/O'Keeffe means“descendant of Aodhagán” a combined form of "Aodh" meaning fire and "agán" meaning "little one". The name Aodh is anglicised in several names including Hugh, McKay and Hughes.^[3]

O'Keefe/O'Keeffe has its variants like MacAfee, McCaffee and MacAffee. These come from the Gaelic words ("Mac Duibhshíthe") Duffy, ("MacElduff") Black, and ("Mac Gioll-bháin") White.^[4][5][6]

People with the surname include:

• Andrew O'Keefe (born 1971), Australian TV personality
• Arthur J. O'Keefe (1876–1943) American banker and mayor of New Orleans
• Brian O'Keefe (baseball) (born 1993), American baseball player
• Dan O'Keefe (born 1929), a former member of the California state Senate
• Daniel O'Keefe (1928–2012), editor and author, original inventor of Festivus
• Daniel J. O'Keefe (born 1950), American communication and argumentation theory scholar
• Danny O'Keefe (born 1943), American singer-songwriter based in Seattle, Washington
• David Dean O'Keefe (born circa 1824 or 1828, died 1901), Irishman who created stone money and became the virtual king of the island of Yap
• Dennis O'Keefe (1908–1968), American film actor
• Dennis O'Keefe, the mayor of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
• Derrick O'Keefe (born 1977), Canadian progressive writer, political activist and blogger
• Eamonn O'Keefe (born 1953), English-born Irish former professional footballer
• Eric O'Keefe (born 1961), American author, editor, and journalist
• Eugene O'Keefe (1827–1913) founder of the O'Keefe Brewery in Toronto
• Frank O'Keefe (1912–1989), Australian politician
• Frank O'Keefe (footballer) (1898–1958), Australian footballer
• Gerald Francis O'Keefe (1917–2000), Catholic bishop of Davenport, Iowa, USA
• James O'Keefe (born 1984), American conservative videographer
• Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (born 1978), American actress and model
• Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe (1923–2016), American politician
• Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe IV (1946–2007), American politician
• Joseph "Specs" O'Keefe, one of the participants in the Great Brinks Robbery
• Ken O'Keefe (born 1953), American college football coach
• Kerin O'Keefe (fl. 2000s–2020s), American wine critic and author
• Laurence O'Keefe (disambiguation)
• Marcy O'Keefe (born 1955), American tennis player
• Mark O'Keefe (politician) (born 1952), American politician
• Michael A. O'Keefe (born 1942), Australian-American physicist
• Michael O'Keefe, (born 1955), American film and television actor
• Michael O'Keefe (Louisiana politician) (1931–2021), American politician; convicted felon
• Molly O'Keefe (fl. 2000s–2020s), American author
• Neil O'Keefe (born 1947), retired Australian politician and lobbyist
• Peggy O'Keefe (1928-2019) Australian-Scottish musical artist
• Phil O'Keefe (1948–2020), British geographer and development specialist
• Ryan O'Keefe (born 1981), Australian Football League player
• Sean O'Keefe (born 1956), Chancellor of Louisiana State University, former NASA administrator and aerospace industry executive
• Steve O'Keefe (born 1984), Australian cricketer and current New South Wales player
• Richard O'Keefe (fl. 1990s), computer scientist
• Thomas O'Keefe (born 1964), American musician known for his work in the group Antiseen
• Walter O'Keefe (1900–1983), American songwriter, actor and syndicated columnist

See also

• Carling O'Keefe, a brewing conglomerate in Canada

References